Wedding Sniper
by Inori Ishii
Summary: A wedding sniper is at large. Posing as couple that's soon to march the aisle, it's up to Detective Yamanaka Ino and Sergeant Uzumaki Naruto to solve the case. As duty and desire tangled them in a web of escalating danger, will they be able to succeed?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto, if I do, then I would make Naruto and Ino an official I knew that some of you guys missed me. Well, Im back! With a pretty good story to share with you Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this latest entry of mine. Read and review. Let me know what you think. Peace out!

-InoIshii

**PS** in this story of mine, Naruto and Ino didn't know each other yet, until I've uploaded this chapter that is.

* * *

**Narthex - **is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar.

**H.L.P.D. – **Hidden Leaf Police Department.

* * *

Detective Yamanaka Ino stood in the entrance hall and studied each of the wedding guests as they trickled into Sacred Heart church.

If she got lucky, very lucky that is, maybe no one would be murdered today.

Too bad there was the little annoying buzz in the back of her head that said all hell might break loose even before the bride and the groom could manage to say their "I do's".

While she directed the guests to sign the registry – a duty she'd created for her cover – Ino continued her surveillance. She mentally dismissed two giggling teenage girls whose dresses were so skintight that they couldn't have been carrying concealed weapons, or much of anything else for that matter. Besides, if her profile of the killer was right, she wasn't looking for a female but a male in his late twenties or early thirties.

A male who'd already killed two people.

"See anything?" she heard her teammate, Akimichi Chouji, ask through her earpiece. He was posted outside the church. Watching their backs, and sides as well. It'd taken some effort, but she had managed to get photos of the thirty nine out of forty one guests, so if someone uninvited shows up, then they would be able to know.

Ino kept her voice at a whisper and spoke into the tiny communicator tucked in the neckline of her dress. "So far, so good, how about you?"

"Nothing. How I wanted this unofficial stake out of yours to end positively so that we can take part on the reception. I heard that the restaurant they picked was one of the best here in Konoha."

That wasn't anything new. Her partner was always talking about food.

"Chouji…" she sighed into her communicator.

"Right. Sorry, it's just that I cant help it Ino, but I guess this is a good time to remind you that our lieutenant will have our butts if he finds out about this little unauthorized stakeout you arranged," Chouji began.

The lieutenant in question was her former teammate Nara Shikamaru who was recently promoted as their department's lieutenant and head of Homicide. She must admit that Shikamaru's performance for the past three years was pretty impressive. No wonder he got promoted in no time.

On the other hand, Ino knew where this conversation with Chouji was leading to, and even before he could finish what he wanted to say, subliminally that is…

"Shika would never find out if you'll keep your mouth shut. A promise is a promise. I'll treat you 5 orders of your favorite barbecue if this wedding would not turn into a disaster, okay?" Ino finished for him.

"Oh yeah!" Chouji exclaimed on the other end which caused Ino to flinch.

"Fat bastard! You're on a communicator dimwit!" Ino reminded Chouji a little louder than a whisper.

"Ooops, sorry," Chouji apologetically replied.

She was lying when she told Chouji that Shikamaru would never find out. He will find out eventually, no doubt about it. The man has sources and she knows they'll be dead meat once he knew. Still, if she could stop someone from getting killed today, she'll gladly accept the flak over her yet-to-be-an-official-part of this investigation.

The platinum blonde was busy thinking of the consequences that she and Chouji might face once her superiors knew of this unofficial stakeout when an odd sound caught her attention.

A scrape of metal. Ino whipped her gaze to the other side of the narthex where a lanky, twenty-something photographer was adjusting his equipment. He was definitely on her list of people to be concerned about, and she made a mental note to get a look in his bag. Perhaps she'd try to flirt him for she was impeccably dressed for the part in the short, snug emerald silk outfit that she'd dragged from the back of her closet.

"Hold on. We might have something," Chouji informed her. "Incoming. Male. About six in height. Blonde hair. He doesn't match any of the photos. You'll have visual in a minute 'cause he's headed for the church."

"Okay, I'll handle it. Stay put in case this one's a decoy," Ino answered.

"Be careful," he warned.

Oh, she definitely would.

More guests strolled in. A pregnant woman with a toddler. A middle-aged couple holding hands. All innocent, she was sure of that.

And then she saw him.

The buzz in her head turned to a full roar.

He stepped into the entry. Well, he didn't step, exactly. He stalked in, smooth and slow, like a jungle-cat sizing up his hunting area.

Now here was the male who fit her profile to a proverbial tee. Unruly spiky blonde hair. Skin tanned to perfection. Six-one. About a hundred and seventy pounds. He wore a midnight-blue suit. Ino had been in the force for nearly six years and had learned to recognize something lethal when she saw it.

This guy was deadly.

His gaze swept around the room, and like his entrance, it was smooth. He made eye contact with her. Just a split second. Then, he looked away to continue his surveillance. And there was no doubt in her mind that this was surveillance for him. He dismissed the teenagers quickly as Ino had, but his attention lingered a bit on the photographer, before it came back to her.

Was he suspicious?

You bet he was.

His instincts weren't lacking in any area. That meant she had to strike first.

She tried to relax herself by pulling in a hard breath, then, she eased behind the narrow table when he walked closer. She wanted a better look, among other things, and she got a dose of those other things right away. She caught the scent of his aftershave. Something manly and musky. It was better suited for a long night of sex rather than a wedding.

Or maybe that was just her imagination working overtime.

Whoa.

An imagination with seriously bad timing.

She brushed her arm against his, purposely, a soft contact which garnered her another glance. Not a dismissive one either. There was interest in the depths in those cerulean blue eyes. Too bad she couldn't quite make out exactly what kind of interest it was, but it was obviously time for that flirting ruse if she had to reel in a killer.

Ino smiled. "Im Ino," she offered her hand in greeting, and he shook it. Eventually. "Would you like to sign the guest registry?"

"No thanks," he casually responded.

"Oh, okay," she said. A roadblock. Not too surprising. Ino tried a different angle. "It's a keepsake for the bride and groom so they'll know who attended. Maybe I could sign it for you if you'll give me your name?" she tried.

He looked at the book, then at her again. "Uzumaki."

She almost pushed in for his first name but decided it could wait. "This'll sound like a very bad line, but don't I know you from somewhere?" Ino asked, letting her voice purr. "You look familiar,"

He spared her another glance. "No. I think I'd remember you."

Ino looked around to make sure they hadn't garnered anyone's attention. When she's certain that they hadn't, she said,

"Say, I'm a little light-headed," she lied."I have this blood sugar thins. Nothing serious. Just makes me a little woozy. I wonder if, I could just catch on to your arm before I fall flat on my face?" she desperately flashed him her most sincere smile.

He studied her. A long, snail-crawling moment. And then, he offered her his arm. She took hold of it before he could even have a chance to change his mind, and she got a peek inside his jacket.

He was carrying a .357 Magnum in a shoulder holster.

Ino had anticipated a weapon, of course. However, reality caused her heart to slam against her chest. She pushed that slamming aside and got to work. It was time to move on to the next step of her plan. She needed to get him away from the guests so she could rid him of that weapon and ask a few questions.

She stumbled, just enough to make him grip her arm. That stumble was a real leap of faith on her part, since she wasn't overly confident that he would even catch her. Thankfully, there was at least one gentlemanly bone in his body, because he cooperated. After he had a good hold on her, she led him a few steps away into the narrow hallway just off the narthex.

"I cant believe this is really happening," she mumbled leaning against him so he wouldn't easily be able to reach for his gun. "Not the best time to get one of my dizzy spells. The ceremony was about to start, and I doubt you want to miss that," she said as she shoved him into a small vacant room that she'd already checked out. Ino didn't waste any time, figuring she would rather be embarrassed from a case of mistaken identity than to have a dead bride and groom.

Blocking the doorway so he couldn't leave easily, she instantly drew her weapon from her holster, hidden beneath her gown and said,

"Okay, here's how we're going to do this, keep your hands where I can see them and explain to me why you brought a .357 Magnum to a wedding?"

He lifted his shoulder in a casual shrug. "I always carry my gun everywhere. I guess you do the same?" he fired back.

If he was scared, or remotely concerned, he certainly wasn't showing it. Too bad Ino couldn't say the same. Her throat was suddenly dry as she kept a firm grip on her gun to keep her hand from shaking.

"Yes, but for me, it's part of my job. I'm Detective Yamanaka Ino, H.L.P.D., and this is what we call a stop and frisk."

He paused. Said one word of profanity under his breath. One rather crude four-letter word. He tipped his eyes to the ceiling as if seeking divine intervention.

Or, something.

"know what I think?" he asked.

"Not particularly. But I want you to remove your weapon slowly and carefully from its holster and place it on the floor. Notice those operative words. SLOWLY. CAREFULLY. FLOOR. Those are major conditions here, and you're going to do that while using only two fingers. Make any sudden moves, and I'll take you down the hard way," she warned him.

He looked her in the eye. "That wasn't what I was thinking." He disarmed himself, just as she'd instructed. Slowly and carefully, he placed his gun on the floor, directly between them.

"Oh yeah?" Ino caught his shoulder and turned him around. She positioned his hands, palms flat and against the wall, and kneed his legs apart. "What exactly were you thinking?" she asked, patting him down.

The man was certainly solid in built. Her fingers skimmed over lots of hard and sinewy muscles. Odd. She never noticed anything like that before when frisking a suspect. Maybe it has something to do with his memorable aftershave.

"I'm thinking you'll regret doing this," he let her know.

"I doubt it, especially since it might just save a few people from dying," she shot back at him.

She located his wallet in his jacket pocket. Except when she got a good look at it, she realized it wasn't a wallet, and caused her stomach to tighten into a hard knot. It also caused her to use a little profanity of her own. She flipped open the too-familiar leather case and read the name aloud.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Sergeant Uzumaki Naruto," he clarified. And with that announcement, he turned back around to face her. "Homicide, H.L.P.D."

Her breath landed somewhere around that knot in her stomach.

Ino shook her head in denia. The badge had to be a fake. Except it wasn't. she scratched it with her thumbnail, or rather tried to. It was as real as the one in her purse.

"B-but that's impossible, I work Homicide, and I've never seen you before in my life!" she protested.

"Well, it's because I was just assigned there, by the chief of police,"" he enunciated each word as if she were mentally inefficient.

Fuck. That bit of information cleared the buzz in her head, but she knew for a fact that she wouldn't like its final destination.

Uzumaki Naruto calmly picked up his gun from the floor and reholstered it. Somehow, he managed to look cocky even while doing that little chore. No hurried moves. No overt display of emotion.

"Well Detective Yamanaka Ino, I'd say we have a problem. A problem with you being here because this isn't your case. And why am I so certain of that?" he aimed his thumb at his chest. "Because it's MINE."

Ino hadn't thought this moment could possibly get more frustrating – or embarrassing – but she was obviously wrong.

"Yours?" she managed to utter despite of her throat closing in.

"Mine." Sergeant Uzumaki muscled her out of the doorway and turned to leave, delivering the rest of his news from over his shoulder.

"Oh and by the way, I'm your new boss."


	2. Chapter 2

In this chapter, you'll be able to relate yourself why Ino was very eager about this mission despite the fact that she was not officially handling the case.

* * *

Well, it wasn't exactly the smooth start Naruto wanted for this particular investigation. While undercover, he'd been made quite easily – by his subordinate, no less. And then that subordinate had frisked him.

He was sorry to say that the frisking had been more enjoyable than it should have been.

Far more.

"The chief assigned you this case?" Yamanaka Ino asked as she followed him.

Since he'd already made that perfectly clear, and since he detected some resentment in her voice, he assumed that she'd heard him correctly but wasn't in agreement with the chief's decision.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the narthex and pressed the transmitter of the communication deice in his jacket.

"Did anyone enter the church for the past three minutes?" he asked the backup officer, positioned in an office building directly across the street.

"None sir."

So they had been lucky. Yamanaka Ino's stunt hadn't allowed the sniper to walk in unchallenged. Of course, if the killer followed the method of operation of the last shooting, he or she wouldn't burst into the church until the "I do's" had been said. There'd be a frenzied battery of gunfire from a ski-masked shooter who wouldn't actually enter the sanctuary but would stay in the narthex and then make an easy get-away. Just the way it happened to the previous victims, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto clicked off the transmitter and glanced back at Detective Yamanaka.

She was staring at him as if he were a member of the fungus family.

Too bad he couldn't say the same for her.

She was attractive. Damn attractive. Not like a beauty queen either, but in a strong, athletic, kick-butt sort of way. The Lara Croft type.

The type he found hot.

And no amount of denial would make his body think otherwise. Fortunately, the parts of his body that noticed her attractive looks didn't have any say in the decisions he made.

"There's been some kind of mistake," she jammed her gun into her holster. "After the initial investigator dropped out because of family illness, I requested this case, and I was told that my request was under consideration," she told him.

"It was," Naruto calmly assured her. "But the considering part is finished now, and I'm the lead investigator. End of discussion."

There was nothing calm about her response. He saw some fire dance through ultra clear, aqua colored eyes. He'd obviously stepped on her toes, toes encased very nicely in a pair of sex-against-the-wall stilettos.

Something else about her that he truly wished he hadn't noticed.

Naruto quickly pushed that, her physical attributes and the remnants of the frisking aside. What the devil was wrong with him anyway? Even if he'd been looking to spice up his love life, he darn sure wouldn't have been looking in Yamanaka Ino's direction.

"I knew the woman who was killed last week," she added.

As if that would help her cause.

"Haruno Sakura," Naruto supplied. "You went to high school together and you've maintained constant contact with her and her family. You probably would have attended her wedding even if you hadn't been on a stakeout. Your relationship with the victim however, doesn't give you priority in this investigation. In fact, it does just the opposite.i don't care to work with an officer who comes into a case with a personal chip on his or her shoulder."

She unclenched her teeth before she could speak.

"There's no personal chip, _Sergeant_. Just my desire to bring a killer to justice."

"Good. Then, we're in agreement. I have that same desire, but that doesn't mean I'll allow you to be part of this case."

The moment the words left his mouth, it was then that Naruto remembered a vital point that had come to mind.

"By the way, why'd you stake out this particular church?"

The fire in those aqua orbs dwindled a fraction.

"Because the bride and the groom met through the Perfect Match Agency, the same matchmaking service where Sakura and her fiancé met," she stated.

"They both also had the same florist, so I thought there might be some connection. I contacted the minister here at the church – " she didn't finished her sentence when Naruto asked her,

"You told him about this possible connection?"

"No. Of course not. There's only been one shooting, and I have no proof that there'll be another one. I didn't want the couple to bring a possible lawsuit against the department for disrupting their wedding, so I simply reminded the minister of some recent robberies in the area and offered my services as a temporary security guard. He agreed, and we came up with the idea of using the guest registry as my cover," she answered.

So she'd done her homework. He liked that. But that this wasn't a time when brownie points counted.

"The florist and Perfect Match could be a coincidence. There are other possible angles," he said.

"Yes, Sakura's fiancé was one of the prominent persons here in Hidden Leaf, so maybe the shooting could be politically motivated or maybe their death are linked to some other aspect of their personal lives." She paused. "But I don't believe that, and apparently neither do you, or you wouldn't be here today."

Touché.

Naruto fought back the urge to smile. Under different circumstances, he might have enjoyed this verbal sparring with her, but these weren't different circumstances. Yamanaka Ino would be on his way, because despite her denial, this case was personal for her. In his experience, when it got personal, people made mistakes.

That wasn't going to happen on his watch.

"I came here to follow up on one particular theory. One theory of several," he assured her.

Naruto checked the entryway. No new guests, and the others had already moved into the church. He could hear the organ start to play, an indication that the bride and groom were about to make their entrance.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be their last.

Ino huffed. "I know those theories as well as you – " she was cut off again when they heard Naruto's communicator.

"A stout male is approaching the church," the backup officer said through the communicator.

That and the sound of hurried heavy footsteps, interrupted whatever else she was about to say. Frantic footsteps sent them both reaching for their guns. In the same motion, she stepped into the hallway beside him. However, the threat for which they'd braced themselves didn't materialize.

Who came into sight was no other than Ino's teammate Akimichi Chouji. his weapon already drawn, but he held it discreetly by his side.

"Ino, what's going on?" he demanded.

Because Naruto was standing arm to arm with her, he felt her muscles relax.

"False alarm," she let him know. Once again she reholstered her gun. "This is Sergeant Uzumaki Naruto. Homicide. This is Detective Akimichi Chouji, Special Investigations."

Unlike Ino, Chouji didn't appear to relax. Just the opposite. Ino couldn't make out what made him tense up. Maybe he really was worried for her. He was her best friend. They're like brothers and sisters. But she didn't guessed what concerned him, not until he uttered Naruto's name.

"Uzumaki," Chouji repeated in the same tone that he no doubt reserved for profanity. "According to the rumor mill, the chief sent you in to investigate Homicide lieutenant, Nara Shikamaru. And possibly, Ino and me, too."

"The chief did what?!" Ino asked.

This obviously wasn't the way to win friends and influence people. But that didn't matter. He had a job to do, and he'll do it, with our without these two.

"Since it appears you can answer her questions," Naruto began. "I'll leave you to it and see what's happening in the church. I'd prefer that people didn't die while we're standing around chitchatting."

It was a good exit line. The only thing missing was, well, the good exit. Ino didn't get out of his way so he could leave, and the hallway was too narrow to go around her. He really didn't want to play bump and grind just so he could get past her.

Really.

Even if there were various parts of him that thought it might be fun.

Her hands went to her hips. "I don't know what your agenda is – "

"To do my job," Naruto insisted.

That earned him a scowl. "Me and my friends are good cops. And our lieutenant wasn't playing favorites. Don't judge either of them by the fact that I came here today. This undercover investigation was my idea and mine alone."

Since it was clear that this argument of theirs wouldn't be resolve in the next couple of minutes, Naruto put his gun back into his holster, and firmly caught her shoulders and mover her out of his path. "I'll see you both back at the headquarters when I'm finished here."

He turned to leave. But still he didn't manage that exit. A few steps was as far as he got. The sound stopped him in his tracks. Because it was the last thing he wanted to hear. A sound he'd anticipated, and dreaded.

A shot blasted through the church.

* * *

The emotion of her argument with Sergeant Uzumaki evaporated instantly, and in its place, Ino felt the barrage of instinct and adrenaline.

Sweet heaven. The sniper had attacked after all, and she hadn't been able to stop it. She prayed the bullet missed its target and prayed everyone was safe.

"The shot came from outside," Naruto offered, taking the words right out from her mouth. "The west side of the building, maybe. Or it could be the rear, Akimichi, secure the front doors, and just in case someone else hasn't already done it, call for backup. Yamanaka, you're coming with me."

Naruto didn't hesitate. Neither did Chouji nor Ino. Chouji hurried to the front door, kicking it shut and locking it. He kept his weapon ready, secured a spot near one of the sidelight windows and then pulled out his cellphone. Naruto went in the direction of the sanctuary, and Ino followed.

"Get down!" Naruto yelled to the guests.

Most had already done just that, squeezing themselves underneath the pews. There were raw screams. Chaos. The smell of fear. And in the middle of that, Ino saw the bride and the groom and the minister cowering between the altar and an archway of pale peach roses.

No visible evidence of blood. Thank goodness. They seemed unharmed.

For now.

"There's an auxiliary building out there. Two story, brown and brick," she relayed to Naruto. "our gunman could be using it as a catbird seat."

He nodded and without taking his attention off the partially shot-out stained glass window, he whispered to her over his shoulder. "You don't happen to have another accomplice in the parking lot, huh?" he sarcastically asked her.

"I wish. But no. We're on our own until backup arrives," she answered. Which wouldn't be for minutes. Long, critical minutes.

Where just about anything could happen.

"Good," Naruto responded. "Because I have an officer out there. One who's _officially_ on this case, and I didn't want any of your accomplices accidentally shooting him while he's trying to do his job."

Ino didn't appreciate the sarcasm but welcomed all the help they could get. Maybe the officer would be able to stop the gunman before any more damage was done.

But at the moment, that seemed a lot to hope for.

There'd been damage already. Even if they stopped the shooting here and now, every one of the guests would surely remember this horrifying ordeal for the rest of their lives. Ino blamed herself for that. She'd been in a position to stop this and failed.

A second shot rang out, quickly followed by another. And another. Two of the three went through a window on the right front side of the church and tore chunks of glass from the frame. No doubt that's what the shooter intended to do. Now he or she had a direct line of sight into the church.

Yelling and crying out, the bride, groom, and minister, scurried to the other side of the altar, but it wouldn't give them shelter for long. Bullets could easily eat through wood.

"I'll make my way over there," Naruto tipped his head to a set of ornate double doors, which were only a couple of yards away from the shattered window.

"If necessary, I'll return fire to draw the sniper's attention. I might be able to get a visual and take him out."

Yes.or maybe the gunman would get him first. Of course, that was a chance they had to take.

"I can help." Ino kicked off her stilettos and tore her long gown so they wouldn't get in her way. "There aren't any guests near that other window next to the doors. I'll knock out the glass and return fire as well. Don't worry – I'll keep watch for your officer and make sure I don't send any friendly fire his way."

Naruto might have disagreed on that impromptu plan, but he didn't get a chance to say anything as more shots came crashing through the building.

Nonstop, heavy, thick blasts.

The sounds were deafening. And they drowned out the shouts, screams and prayers that increased each new round of fire. Just as Ino had figured, those shots were aimed right at the wooden altar. It was the same as the first shooting, the one that had killed her best friend Sakura and her fiancé, Sasuke. She had already guessed that Sakura's murder wasn't some random act of violence.

For all the good it'd done her.

Her guess was right, and yet it still being repeated right under her nose.

The bride screamed. Maybe in pain. Maybe just from fear. Ino prayed it was the latter.

Naruto moved. Fast, low and graceful. With Ino following closely behind him, they went toward the door. Along the way, he identified himself and doled out assurances to the terrified guests.

He kept close to the perimeter wall until he got to the row of stained glass windows, and then he lowered himself to the floor and proceeded to the doors.

The shots stopped for only a couple of seconds. Not for reloading. Ino soon learned. And they didn't stop because the sniper was finished for the day. No. The break was so the person could change out rifles. The sound of the new shots told her that much since it was a different calibration. Whoever was doing this had certainly come prepared to kill but wasn't necessarily an expert marksman. The stray bullets were landing everywhere- which of course, made the situation all the more dangerous.

Ino made her way right behind Uzumaki Naruto. Trying to time it perfectly to coordinate with his efforts, she sheltered her eyes and used the grip of her gun to knock out the glass that formed the image of the archangel, Michael. The glass was solid and held in place by not just strips of lead solder but also a sturdy frame. It took several hard jabs before she managed to dislodge enough of it so she could see into the parking lot.

Pressing her back against the narrow section of wall next to the doors, she rotated her body and did a quick check outside. She had a fairly good view of the building – and the dozen or so windows facing the church. Too many windows, and the reflection of the early afternoon sun didn't make things easier. She quickly scanned them all as best she could.

No shooter in sight.

Yet, he had to be there.

Somewhere.

Because he was still firing.

While still low on the floor, Naruto reached up and turned the old-fashioned brass handle on the door. He opened it a fraction and looked out. Ino waited for a signal so she could return fire.

And just like that, the shots stopped.

She felt another surge of adrenaline slam through her. A bad-feeling kind of surge. If the gunman wasn't shooting, then he was likely making his getaway.

That couldn't happen.

Because she knew in her heart that he would continue this until someone stopped him.

It was a risk, but Ino moved closer to the window so she could check the parking lot and the grounds. Naruto did the same to the door. He stood, took position and aimed.

"Think," she whispered to herself. If she were a killer, what would be her escape plan? Not the parking lot. Too visible. Not the side either since it bumped right against a fairly busy street.

No.

He'd go out the rear of the building and slip into the myriad of old shops and businesses that were crammed into this particular part of the downtown area. Ino heard the sound of siren the moment that Naruto opened the door wider. Mumbling something, he peered out. He'd perhaps come to the same conclusion as she had. The gunman was getting away.

"Stay put," he ordered.

It was a logical order.

She needed to stay there to protect the guests. Still, part of her wanted to go after the gunman.

"Hold your positions." Naruto called out. Ino turned around and saw Chouji with his cellphone pressed on his ear.

"Backup is in pursuit of a white car that just sped away." He told her.

Ino released the breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. She glanced at Naruto, but he didn't seem any more eager than she was to let down his guard. So they did the only thing they could. They waited with their backs literally against the wall and their guns ready.

"Is anyone hurt?" Naruto called out to the guests.

The response varied, most still layered with panic, but from what she gathered, no one had actually been shot. Nothing short of a miracle. Ino had a quick prayer of thanks for that and then turned to the man who'd given her so much grief for being here.

"Still think that I'm the wrong person for this case?" she asked Naruto.

"Yes." No hesitation whatsoever.

The analogy of butting her head against the brick wall came to mind. "but I guessed right about the gunman picking this particular wedding. Even in yout book that has to count for something."

He made another quick check of the parking lot. "It doesn't count for much."

Crouching there among the shattered glass and the smell of gunfire, it seemed petty to dislike this man because he was arrogant and hardheaded, but that didn't prevent her scowl. The scowl didn't lessen either when Chouji called out something else.

"It's over already. Backup lost the guy in pursuit." Chouji announced.

"Slowly,the guests began to come out of hiding. Hugging each other. Crying. Praying . Most still in shock.

Ino groaned and scrubbed her hand over her face. This wasn't over because the killer just got started.

* * *

How did you like the cocky Naruto? Don't forget to review please. As this will affect the upload of the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Konnichiwa!

I would like to thank those people who never forget to leave reviews and such. You guys keep me inspired. So much for the waiting, here's my chapter 3. Aside from their hair color, it looks like Ino and Naruto share a common food fetish this time. Read and don't forget to leave reviews.

Have a nice day minna-san.

* * *

Naruto reread the overview of the proposed mission that Lieutenant Nara Shikamaru handed him just minutes earlier. The overview didn't look any good the second time around, and he didn't hold out hope that a third read would make it more palatable.

There were quite a few points of contention so Naruto chose the first one.

"You really think that the shooting the day before yesterday was a result of a botched burglary of the building next to the Sacred Heart Church?" he asked the man in front of him.

"No," Shikamaru readily answered. "But I'd rather have the press report than link it with the shooting that happened a week earlier."

The spiky blonde male nodded, but the two shootings wouldn't stay unlinked for long. All it would take was another incident, and unfortunately another incident was already in the planning stages. That is, if the gunman hadn't already finalized his next hit. But the real question was – was the killer associated to the matchmaking agency or the florist?

Or neither?

The "or neither" part was the most troublesome scenario he could think of. If the shootings weren't connected through the businesses, then maybe they had a thrill killer or just a plain psycho on the loose.

Not that they didn't have that anyway.

But Naruto preferred his psychos to keep to a discernable pattern, because with hard work and some luck, patterns could be identified.

"The shell casings taken from the two crime scenes didn't match," Ino said as she read her copy of the overview. "Which makes things more complicated." She finished as she gave a weary sigh.

"It just means that our shooter likes to trade off weapons," Naruto advised her. "it doesn't mean the crimes aren't related,"

Another sigh came from the platinum blonde.

"Do you have any arguments? Comments? Objections and violent reactions?" Shikamaru asked them. "If you have, then please direct them to me, and not at one another." He sighed. "Troublesome blondes." He whispered.

The lieutenant was definitely a multi-tasker. While he tossed out those leading questions and semi-reprimands, he looked through a report, scrawled his signature on it and tossed it into his out-box before he went onto the next one. But then, no one had ever accused this particular person inefficient. Just the opposite. The only accusation had been in the area of his preferential treatment.

"Concerns," Naruto volunteered.

Time to move on to point two. He had a lot of concerns, but the major one was the woman with the long platinum blonde hair and aqua-colored eyes sitting next to him. Now the question was how to voice that concern without thoroughly riling Ino's superior and friend, a man he had no desire to rile. Even under a cloud of suspicion. Shikamaru was formidable. Naruto's investigation into departmental favoritism would no doubt irritate the man enough without adding more to the mix.

"Sergeant Uzumaki thinks this case is too personal for me," Ino countered. "He believes I should step aside because I knew Sakura."

And with that totally accurate observation, she looked across the desk that separated them and met her former teammate's dark gaze. In the next few seconds, at least a hundred or more words passed between them, even though, neither spoke.

It was an interesting encounter to watch.

The lieutenant stared at her and lifted his eyebrows, just a fraction. That was it. No other changes in his otherwise calm expression. Yet the simple gesture caused Ino's mouth to tighten, and her grip on the chair arm whitened her knuckles. Naruto could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped by a full ten degrees.

"Detective Yamanaka has renegade tendencies," Naruto added. "I'd prefer to work with another detective on this case." He finished.

"Bringing in another detective might be a problem," the lieutenant extracted a manila folder from a stack and slid it on Naruto's way.

"This'll be an undercover assignment and Ino here has already her foot in the door," the lieutenant continued..

"What door?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"At the matchmaking agency that might be connected to the two shootings." Shikamaru answered.

With that, Ino let out a soft groan as she sank lower in her chair.

"I must have missed that foot-in-the-door part when reading the overview," Naruto commented.

Shikamaru pointed to the folder. "It's all in there."

Naruto opened the folder in which he found a lengthy questionnaire from the Perfect match Agency on the top page. It was dated a week earlier and it'd been filled out two days after the shooting.

And the name at the top?

Asakawa Ino.

Naruto felt a groan coming on, as well.

"Is this your handiwork?" he threw the question at the platinum blonde.

"Yes. But no one at the Perfect Match has any idea that I'm a cop. No one. Asakawa is obviously an alias." Ino directed her answers to both men. "I wanted to get a look at the people who worked there. I figured this was the fastest way to do it." She continued.

"But not the smartest way," Naruto quickly added. "You could have jeopardized everything in there by going out on your own." He let her know.

"But I didn't." Ino moved on to the edge of her seat. "I can do whatever you need me to do to make this undercover assignment work." She said towards her lieutenant and former teammate, Shikamaru.

"Im not the one you need to convince, Ino. The chief assigned Sergeant Uzumaki as the lead for this case." And the lieutenant sat back and left it at that.

The proverbial ball had just been tossed into Naruto's proverbial court.

Unfortunately, he also knew how these next few minutes were about to play out.

Hell.

Yamanaka Ino had certainly put him in a hard place with her coloring-outside-the-lines attitude. Still, it'd only compound the problem if he let his personal feelings influence the most logical way to approach this. Well, it was the most logical way considering she'd already tossed a monkey wrench or two into the scenario.

"It wouldn't be smart for me to use another detective at this point," Naruto concluded, speaking more to himself than the two police officers with him. He glanced at the questionnaire while he finished up his explanation. It figured. Ino had listed "ramen" as her favorite food.

"If the killer's a part of the Perfect Match Agency, then he or she might be suspicious of anyone registering so soon after the second shooting." He continued talking.

"Guess that leaves you out then, huh?" Ino all but smirked at him.

Even though it was a borderline petty, Naruto liked it when people did that, especially when he could smirk right back. He calmly shuffled through the papers in the folder, extracted his own questionnaire and passed it to her.

Her eyes widened and skimmed over the first page.

"You filled this out the same day that I did?" she was astounded.

Let the smirking begin. "Yes." He casually replied.

She hissed out a breath. "Need I remind you that you just accused me of jumping the gun by going to the agency?!" she was very pissed.

"The difference is- I was on this case, and you weren't." Naruto held out his hands to emphasize the space. "Big difference. I'm talking huge." He sarcastically added.

The temperature went down another notch, and her aqua eyes narrowed to slits.

"Which brings us up-to-date, I believe," Shikamaru interjected. Good timing. Naruto thought, since Ino looked ready to implode.

"We have to act fast. There are only five days until Saturday. Five days until a whole host of weddings are scheduled to take place all over the village. Five days to stop a killer from striking again."

Naruto was well aware of that. Those five days were already breathing down his neck. "I've learned the florist in question is doing the flower arrangements for two weddings this weekend, one Saturday, another at Sunday night. If fact, I haven't been able to connect any of the upcoming marriages to a matchmaking agency."

"Neither have I," Ino pulled out her own set of notes from a leather briefcase that was leaning against her chair."And therein lies our problem. Perfect Match doesn't release all the names of their clients who've made wedding plans. So it becomes a needle-in-the-haystack approach."

"It's the only approach we have now." Naruto fired back. "We could stake out all the weddings here in Konoha, but it'll eat up a too many questions and maybe even panic. Plus, there are other ceremonies, the ones that aren't listed. We wouldn't be able to cover those.so our best bet is to go back to the source of connection –the Perfect Match Agency. They require matched couples to meet there first for an icebreaker, and there's one every Tuesday night, including tomorrow night."

"It starts at seven-thirty," Ino provided. 'We don't need an invitation. We just need to be computer matched…somehow."

It didn't surprise Naruto that she knew those details. She probably already picked out the clothes she was going to wear. And she'd done all of that before being officially assigned to the team.

His team.

He hoped like the devil that she didn't wear those sexy stilettos. He'd have enough distractions as it was.

"Detective Yamanaka and I'll do this intro thing tomorrow night at Perfect Match," Naruto continued making sure he sounded like the boss. Because after the mini-fantasy involving her choice of fashion, he needed he reminder in the worst sort of way. "We'll pretend we were high school sweethearts and that we're surprised but happy to be reunited."

She nodded. "Good idea. And that'll explain a hasty engagement and equally hasty marriage."

"Well, hopefully." It might also make the wrong person suspicious, but he'd deal with that when and if it happened. "While we're there, we'll have a good look around the place. Without breaking the law, of course." He let that sound as a reminder for Ino's sake.

Another huff came from the platinum blonde.

Naruto ignored her and continued, "In the meantime I'll keep going through the background checks I've been doing on the employees and the owners of the matchmaking agency as well as the florist."

"I've done background checks as well," Ino informed him.

"Of course you have," Naruto commented mockingly.

The woman had an incredibly effective scalpel-sharp glare. "I'm not an idiot. I did them discreetly."

Naruto might have questioned her on what she considered discreet, but the lieutenant spoke first. "Sounds as if you have everything under control."

Not even close. Naruto kept the sentiment to himself.

"Good." Shikamaru stood and reached for the jacket draped over the back of his chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with the chief. Feel free to use my office to hash out the rest of the details. Oh, and it goes without saying – keep me informed."

"Wait," Ino called out to him. "You're both missing a key point. Yes, Sergeant Uzumaki and I filled out these questionnaires, but that in itself doesn't give us a computer match. I hate to state the obvious here, but the computer does that. In fact, it generates a list of matches so the candidates can meet the people at the icebreaker. What if neither of us have any matches? What then? We cant just show up there."

"I'd planned to have one of the techs to go into the system and arrange for the questionnaires to be matched." Naruto explained.

Ino shook her head. "That sounds risky. Someone at the agency might figure out –"

"A match isn't a problem," Shikamaru assured them. "It's all in the folder."

There was something strange about the lieutenant's self-satisfied expression that sent Naruto thumbing through the rest of the papers in the file. Ino must have sensed it too, because she leaned closer so she could see the documents as well.

It didn't take Naruto long to find it. There it was. The dozen or so men listed as "dream date" matches for client 6341B, Asakawa Ino. His own alias, Namikaze Naruto was the first name on the list.

He felt as if someone had slugged him in the solar plexus.

"You already had the tech rig the system?" Naruto asked. But he didn't think that's what had generated the look on the lieutenant's face.

"No. the two of you matched without any tech interference." Shikamaru answered.

And with that little scud missile attack, the lieutenant left them sitting there in somewhat stunned silence.

"It had to be the ramen, or the hair color." Naruto mumbled under his breath.

Or maybe Ino just jotted down a whole bunch of lies while filling out the questionnaire. He hadn't. That was for sure. Unnecessary lies were just too hard to keep track of, so with the exception of his name, address, and occupation, everything else was true.

Yet, they'd matched.

Even if she'd lied, that was an unsettling coincidence because it meant her lies matched his truths.

Naruto quietly pushed that coincidence aside and moved on to the mission at hand.

"I'll see you at the Perfect Match tomorrow night." He stood and tucked the folder beneath his arm. "Until then, we keep doing these background checks and hope we find a smoking gun. Oh, and by the way, I insist officers on my team follow the rules. MY RULES." He emphasized. "If you jeopardize this assignment again – "

"I wont," was her short reply.

"If you do, I'll have your butt and your badge." He continued.

She nodded after a contemplative moment.

Naruto almost decided to leave it at that, but there was something he couldn't leave unsaid.

"I hope it's occurred to you that this plan is designed to send a killer after us."

No hesitation this time. "It has."

Good. At least underneath all that wisecracking talk, Yamanaka Ino was smart enough to know what they're up against.

An what they were up against was a killer.

Even more, the moment they stepped inside Perfect Match, they would become the ultimate bait.


	4. Chapter 4

Ino fanned herself with the Perfect Match folder.

Even though the sun was on the verge of setting, the summer heat was still escaping in filmy waves off the asphalt. It was muggy.

She willed herself not to sweat as she hurried across the parking lot toward the sprawling building that housed the Perfect Match Agency. Willing didn't work. A slick bead of perspiration slithered down the center of her back.

As Ino stepped through the front door of the agency, she mumbled a "thank you" for the Arctic blast of the A/C and made her way to the reception area.

An empty area, she soon learned.

Empty, no doubt, because she was early. Her early arrival in this case would allow her time to double check the few things she could actually double check. Exits. Bullet-accessible windows. Security cameras, like the one mounted on the light fixture in the center of the room. It also gave her some time to take a deep breath and steady her nerves.

Someone had decorated the spacious rectangle-shaped room. Unlike her earlier visit, tonight there were bunches of gold balloons in the corner, huge bouquets of cream-colored flowers in crystal vases and bottles of champagne angled into gleaming silver ice buckets. Soft romantic music filled the background. The stage was set for love. But hopefully not murder.

She was armed with a Glock in her purse. It was her preferred poison when she needed to carry light. And thanks to the flexible, pencil-size device beneath her collar, she had two-way communication with headquarters. However, neither of those two measures would give her much protection if someone opened fire through the trio of floor-to-ceiling windows. For all practical purposes, she was on her own.

An obvious drawback to being early.

The sudden clicking sound sent her reaching for her gun, but Ino forced herself not to draw. She needed to stay in character. It was a good timing, too. Because the click was a door opening, and the gray-haired man who came in through the side entrance wasn't carrying a weapon but another bottle of champagne.

He immediately made eye contact and smiled, a slightly too-friendly smile, before he proceeded to the table with champagne.

"Asakawa Ino, right?" he asked.

"Yes," she simply replied.

Ino didn't have to ask his name. He was Yakushi Kabuto, age, twenty-nine. He was the office manager of the Perfect Match Agency.

He was also a prime murder suspect.

Of course, anyone associated with the agency was a suspect, but Kabuto was near the top of the list. According to his background check, he'd been hit with not one but two restraining orders for stalking his former girlfriends. The last incident had escalated into an assault.

"Im Yakushi Kabuto," he greeted. "I run things around here. In fact, I'm the one who processed your application." His face got a contemplative look for several seconds, then he snapped his fingers. "You're a dance instructor part time P.E. teacher on break for the summer, who likes action and adventure movies, sake and ramen."

He grinned as if pleased with himself for recalling that information. Ino didn't return the grin. If he actually memorized details about every client, it was a little unnerving. If he'd only memorized her details, then it went well past the unnerving stage.

"I remember because I kept thinking what a great match we'd be," he continued. "But unfortunately since I work here, I'm not allowed to pair up with any of the clients. Well, not officially anyway."

Good grief. As if he hadn't gotten his message across, he aimed another flirtatious grin in her direction.

"So, do a lot of people actually find their perfect match at these icebreaker?" she asked.

"Depends on your definition of perfect." He casually replied.

"A lifelong partner," Ino quickly offered.

"Ah, marriage." He shrugged. "Sure, it happens," But that was as far as he took the thread of conversation.

She pointed to the wall above the table. "You should put photos of the happy couples there. It'd be great publicity."

"I'll pass on your suggestion to my boss." He placed the bottle of champagne on the table, searched through the two dozen or so plastic-encased name tags and picked up one.

Hers, apparently.

He crossed the room and reached out as if to pin it on her jacket, just over her left breast, but Ino intervened and took it from him instead. So he was perhaps a groping pervert in addition to being a stalker and a killer.

What a pleasant guy.

His smile faded, probably because he wasn't happy with her insistence that she pin on her own name tag.

Kabuto tipped his head to the glossy gold-and-white Perfect Match folder she'd tucked beneath her arm. "So, did you see any immediate prospects on your list?"

"One. But it could be a coincidence." Since it was a time to do a little more stage setting, she pinned on her name tag and opened the folder. She pointed to Naruto's alias. "I dated a guy that name in high school."

Something darted through his ebony black eyes. Concern, maybe?

"Is that good or bad?"

"Definitely good. He's the one who got away, if you know what I mean." Ino said.

He made a sound of superficial agreement and quickly excused himself to leave when a man and a woman came in. Not Naruto. But from the already friendly chatter and the come-and-get-me smiles, these two had already decided that they were a good match.

Once the two newcomers had on their name tags, Ino whispered their identities so the tech back at the headquarters could begin background checks. In case something serious developed between them, she didn't want this couple to become the sniper's next targets.

"Asakawa Ino? I-is that really you??" she heard the now familiar voice say.

It's show time. She took a long breath, braced herself and turned toward him to start the charade.

Oh, mercy.

She obviously hadn't braced herself nearly enough.

At the wedding, she'd seen Naruto's GQ look, this time she was looking with his cool hot-guy look.

It worked.

Black perfectly tailored pants. A deep crimson red crewneck pullover that hugged his chest the way men's chest should be hugged. Well, men with great chests anyway.

Which he had.

The breeze coming in from the still-open door stirred his lightweight jacket. Also black. He'd likely worn it to conceal his .357 Magnum, but it made him look a little mysterious, confident. And dangerous.

Ino bet he'd never had to take a deep breath to steady himself. On the other hand, she required several more.

"N-Naruto? Namikaze Naruto?" she managed to say, when she remembered how to form words. Sheez, her throat actually clamped up. She added a stage giggle of excitement to unclamp it, "It is you. I-I cant believe this!"

As they'd discussed, Naruto and she went to each other immediately, and he pulled her into his arms. Yep, he was definitely carrying concealed, and there was a backup in the slide holster on the rear waist of his pants.

"You're early," he whispered.

"You're not," she countered, also in a whisper.

"I was busy. We might have a little problem."

Okay. _Little _didn't sound so bad. Little problems always arose during undercover missions.

"What – "

That's as far as Ino got.

Naruto brushed his mouth over hers. A friendly sort of gesture – which they'd also discussed should happen. In theory, such gesture was supposed to announce to the people at the agency that they were staking their personal claims on each other. Like his clothes, it worked. Ino heard the other couple and Yakushi Kabuto mention something about an apparent perfect match.

Ino also heard her heart pounding in her ears and felt her body turning soft and warm.

And she cursed herself.

Talk about being a hormonal wimp. Somehow, she had to make herself immune to any carnal-related reactions to Uzumaki Naruto, and she did that with a simple reminder that he was not only her boss but also the man investigating her friend and former teammate.

That immediately cooled off her body.

She pulled back, both literally and figuratively.

"Incoming six o'clock," Naruto whispered.

In other words, someone was approaching from directly behind her. While Naruto kept her firmly against him, she turned her head, already smiling, and came face-to-face with Hiruko Sasori, the owner of Perfect Match. And also, one of the suspects.

He seemed younger than Ino had expected, and she'd expected young. Sasori was barely twenty six but could have passed for a teenager. Well, except his coffee-brown eyes. There was something not so youthful about them.

Sasori wasn't alone. A broad-shouldered man came into the reception area with him and took position near the door. It was Ino's guess that he wasn't a client looking for love but was rather a bodyguard. Maybe this was the little problem Naruto mentioned.

"I smell success," Sasori greeted.

"Asakawa Ino, Namikaze Naruto," Sasori continued as he took several steps forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome."

She felt Naruto stiffen slightly but couldn't ask him why. It probably had something to do with the guard who was studying them a little too carefully.

Naruto extended his hand to Sasori. "Thanks. It looks like joining Perfect Match was the wise thing to do." He smiled lovingly at Ino before he slid his attention back at Sasori. "By the way, a friend of mine said he might be here tonight. Minamoto Daisuke. Have you seen him?"

Minamoto Daisuke? Ino had no idea what his was about. There was no one by that name associated with this case.

Sasori shook his head. "We're expecting a big crowd so you might want to check your friend's name tag is on the table."

Sasori's suggestion was just beginning, however, and not a prelude to a departure. Like a good host, he introduced them to the other couple. By the time he'd finished, more clients had started to trickle in.

Yakushi Kabuto did his hosting duties, as well. He began pouring the champagne – lots of it. Nothing like alcohol to kick up the libido and lower the defenses. The piped-in music switched to a slow, sultry beat.

"What about that little problem?" she asked Naruto the moment Sasori walked away. She looped her arm through his and leaned against him, snuggling, so she could speak as softly as possible.

"Someone's watching the place." He calmly answered.

Okay. Maybe it wasn't so little after all.

"Any idea who?" she continued.

"Yeah."

Again, no explanation since groping-boy, Yakushi Kabuto, walked up to them with a tray of filled champagne glasses. Even when they both declined, the man didn't move far enough away for them to have a private conversation.

Naruto remedied that. Smiling and whispering sweet nothings about how glad he was to see her again, he led Ino to the far end of the room and then just inside the hallway that led to the agency's offices. He angled them so they wouldn't be facing the camera in the reception room.

"Hisagi Karin," Naruto informed her. When the static crackled in their respective communicators, he turned his off, because the now close proximity was interfering with reception.

"She's parked outside the building."

Ino didn't have to ask who that was. Karin was a regular client at Perfect Match and a former acquaintance of Uchiha Sasuke, the murdered groom of her best friend Sakura. And that was a former acquaintance in a VERY bad way.

After Karin and Sasuke had met, dated and then broken up, she had apparently threatened him. The police had been looking for her but hadn't been able to locate her – not since she'd quit her job and moved out of her apartment. Apparently though, she'd come to them.

"No sign of her carrying an assault rifle, huh?" Ino asked, only partly joking.

"Not that I could see, but I've got two officers in a surveillance van watching her just in case." Naruto glanced over his shoulder and mumbled some profanity.

"Play along." He whispered to her.

And that was it. No other warning. No hint that he was about to launch into a full-contact charade.

Naruto pushed her against the wall and kissed her. He pressed his body against her. Snugly, until they were aligned like human puzzle parts.

Ino caught a glimpse of Sasori watching them from the reception room. So this was Naruto's version of a 'get-lost tactic'.

Naruto kept the mouth-to-mouth clinical. Well, as clinical as something like that could be, considering he had a rather hot kissing technique. No tongue involved. Just the right amount of pressure, glide and moisture to make Ino wish, at least temporarily, that he'd eventually use his tongue.

He didn't stop there. His kisses traveled from her mouth. To her cheek. To her ear.

Not good.

Ino bit off a moan of pleasure. It seemed trivial, considering everything else that was going on, but if these forced kissing sessions continued, she would need some ground rules so he could go easy on her erogenous zones.

"Any suspicious activity around the perimeter of the building?" Naruto murmured.

Not exactly the sensual question her body had expected to hear from the man kissing her, and it took a moment for Ino to realize that he wasn't talking to her, but speaking to the two officers through her communicator.

"Hisagi Karin's still watching the place," was the response they got.

Obviously unaware of the effect he was having on her, Naruto continued his inquiries while pretending to nibble on her earlobe.

"Tail her if she leaves." He commanded.

Normally, whispered orders wouldn't have been a turn on for her. But Naruto's warm, moist breath against her neck and ear. Damn. Not good. She didn't want to add any more hormones to this volatile mix.

Another glance at the reception area. No Hiruko Sasori in sight. At least their kissing session had sent him on his way.

"Sasori knew our names," Naruto informed her. "I wasn't wearing a name tag, and he never looked at yours, yet he knew who we were."

Ino went back through the events of that particular introduction and realized that it was true. She reprimanded herself for not noticing it, as well.

"SO… that's what Daisuke was all about?" she asked.

Not a real person but a test. Since Sasori suggested that Naruto look through the name tags, it meant he didn't know the names of all the guests. And unlike a few of the others, Naruto and she weren't repeat costumers. Nor had they met him when they filled out their applications.

So how had he known their names?

"This might not be such a little problem," Ino mumbled.

Naruto quickly agreed.

In fact, it could mean that the killer was already on to them.


	5. Chapter 5

First of all, I would like to thank you guys for the support, encouragement and objective criticisms. It really means a lot to me. But I just would like to clear some things, especially for my critic, **yasuhei**. I believe that if a single person reading my story doesn't fully understand the plot or the reason behind my efforts, then I wasn't able to give justice to my story.

I believe that I already stated on the first two chapters of the story that Naruto has been sent by the chief of police to investigate both the case of the sniper at large and the rumor that Shikamaru's decision making is easily affected by his friend's presence.

In terms of the characters that I used here, well, I just like these characters, haha

So there I hope I made myself clear.

Still, I would like to thank everyone for the constructive criticisms as well as the positive feedbacks I'm getting. ;P

* * *

Naruto should have been thinking about Hiruko Sasori. Specifically, about the fact the man was obviously suspicious of them.

With reason.

Both Ino and he had registered at Perfect Match just days after the murders. That said, only the shooter himself would have likely made the connection at this point. And that meant that Sasori was possibly their wedding sniper.

So why wasn't his attention on Sasori or the "security guard" he'd brought with him?

Because Naruto was involuntary sharing that attention with the woman he had plastered against him that's why.

He was a fool not to notice how nicely Ino fit in his arms. A fool not to notice that she tasted almost as good as she looked. And basically, he was just a fool to have thought he could kiss her and not lust after her. That meant he had to do something about it.

Naruto slid his fingers beneath her collar and temporarily turned off the audio feed on her communicator. The surveillance officers would be able to talk to them, to warn them if necessary, but they wouldn't be able to hear what he was about to admit to Detective Yamanaka.

"We'd better try to keep the kissing to a minimum from now on," he whispered.

"Sure," she readily agreed.

Too readily.

Which meant all the supposedly for-show making out probably had an effect on her, as well. Naruto didn't care much for the fact that it pleased him a little. This wasn't a competition, but sometimes it felt like one.

"Hey, contrary to public opinion, I'm human," Ino said, frowning. And probably so she wouldn't have to add more to an already uncomfortable conversation, she reconnected her communicator.

"Any indication that Hiruko Sasori has been investigating us?" she whispered to the person on the other end of that communicator.

Naruto wished he'd thought of the question first, which was only more proof that he needed a serious mental adjustment. This case was critical. People's lives were at stake, including theirs. Heck, even his promotion to lieutenant was probably riding on this. It was no time for lust.

He repeated all o that to himself several times and hoped those reminders stayed reminders for the rest of this assignment.

"He didn't trigger any info markers to indicate an investigation," the other officer answered through the communicator. "But then, with his resources, that's not surprising."

In other words, Sasori could have done a full-scale check on them – or rather on their false identities – and they wouldn't have known.

"Hypothetically, what would Sasori have learned?" Naruto asked.

He glanced at the person who stopped at the end of the hallway, Yakushi Kabuto. Naruto didn't think it was his imagination that the man cast a suspicious glance their way. It made sense. If there'd been a computer search, Kabuto would have likely been the one to do it. But the real question was – had Kabuto instigated that search on his own, or had Sasori ordered it?

"The only thing Sasori could have gotten was what was in the fake files we created for you and Detective Yamanaka," the officer explained. "Fake employment and financial records. Phony e-mail accounts. The addresses of the apartments that were rented to support your covers. That sort of thing. If they were after your real backgrounds, we'd know."

Ino opened her mouth, probably to respond to that, but she'd obviously not seen Kabuto and his spying eyes. Just in case the man was eavesdropping, Naruto did a quick maneuver and put his mouth against her ear.

"Save your questions," he mumbled. "We have company."

She groaned softly.

So with this latest round of surveillance, things weren't going exactly as planned. Naruto had hoped to establish the pretense of the reunited couple, leave Ino in the reception area and have a look around while she covered for him. He'd only managed the first of those and would likely have to save that search for another day. They would have to return anyway in two days, on Thursday, to announce their engagement. By then, he'd figure out a way to do a search.

"Karin's about to drive away," Naruto heard the backup officer announce into the communicator.

"Go after her." He ordered. And that meant with the heavy scrutinization from Sasori and Kabuto, it was a good time for him to get Ino out of there, as well.

He caught her arm.

"Let's say our goodbyes. We'll come back later for your car."

"Wait." She held her ground. "We still haven't looked around the place."

"And it wont happen tonight." Naruto had to pull her closer to him so he could whisper. "You heard – we're without backup because they have to go after Karin."

She wanted to argue. He could see it in the depth of those lightly narrowed aqua orbs. Heck, he wanted to argue, too. And he really wanted to stay and see what he could find. But he wouldn't do that at the expense of further risking her life. There were already enough risks without him bending the rules.

Since there was no way to make this sound better, Naruto just came out with it.

"It's time to act as if we're ready to drag each other off to bed."

Which couldn't be much of a stretch for him.

A few mumbled words of profanity from the platinum blonde, but she cooperated by sliding her arm inside his coat and around his waist. She even added a sultry chuckle and nudged him playfully with her hip.

Nope.

The pretense of dragging her off to bed wouldn't be much of a stretch at all.

Kabuto stepped in front of them when they started across the reception area.

"Hey, you're not leaving already, huh?" he asked, seemingly shocked.

"Ino and I have some..uh…catching up to do," Naruto made sure there were enough undertones in that remark.

Too bad Kabuto didn't pick up on those undertones. He placed hi hand on Ino's arm and gave her an almost intimate rub with his fingers. His fingers even strayed a little in the direction of Ino's breast.

"But you haven't even checked out the other matches on your list," Kabuto reminded her. "And here I selected them just for you."

She chuckled again, a low sexy purr, and lifted her equally sexy gaze to Naruto.

"I've already found all the matches I need. Now it's time to play with a little fire."

With that naughty entendre, she pushed Kabuto's hand aside, tightened her grip on Naruto's waist and got them moving toward the door.

"Man, I hope he's the killer," she grumbled under her breath. "Because I would soooooooo enjoy kicking his ass."

Naruto forced himself not to smile, which was easy, since they'd hardly made a step before Sasori stopped them.

"Kabuto tells me you're thinking of leaving?" Sasori asked.

Ino did her part with yet another sultry smile and a sensual snuggle against him.

"Yes. Thanks for arranging this," Naruto added, hoping that would be the end of it.

It wasn't.

"But you cant go. Not yet. I need the two of you to sign release forms." He said.

Since this was the first he'd heard mentioned of the release forms, and since Sasori was a murder suspect, Naruto was automatically suspicious.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, cant this wait?" Naruto countered. He was afraid that the red-haired male would refuse to give them the escape they would want to make.

"Afraid not. It's a legal requirement. Normally, I put out the forms a little later in the evening, but if you'll come with me, I'll have you sign them in my office."

There wasn't a lot of time for Naruto to debate the issue, but what the heck of an issue it was. If he declined, it could very well blow the undercover operation when it'd barely gotten started. If he said yes, it would be a meeting away from the witnesses, away from the safety of being in a public place. Besides, standard operating procedure required –

"Let's make this quick," Ino insisted.

And then there was that angle. His partner making a decision without even consulting him.

Naruto hoped Sasori didn't notice how much his jaw tightened.

Sasori smiled, that too-artificial smile that Naruto didn't even try to interpret, and the man motioned for the guard before he turned toward the hall. It didn't surprise Naruto when the guard followed. Basically, Sasori was leading them to a location where they'd be out of sight from the others, and he was taking his hired gun along with him.

And they had no back up.

Maybe he wouldn't regret Ino's _let's make this quick _in the next couple of minutes.

"Is this guy a friend of yours?" Naruto asked the red-haired man in front of them.

"An employee," Sasori answered, without even looking back. "I need someone to witness your signatures."

Of course he did.

Well, at least there was one consolation in all of this. If by some long shot Sasori wanted to do them some harm, then it'd almost certainly mean he was their sniper. Ino and he could perhaps end this right here, right now. Of course, that would mean a gun battle in a confined space with innocent people nearby. Not his first choice of ways to bring this to a close.

Obviously, Ino had figured that out as well. She kept her arm around him as they followed Sasori, but using Naruto's coat as cover, she eased her hand into his slide holster located just inside the back waist of his pants. To a casual observer or the guard behind them, it probably appeared that she was copping a feel. But what she was doing was removing his reserve weapon with her left hand. It made sense because she could easily have been spotted if she'd gone after the gun in her purse.

She didn't stop there. While still keeping her left hand beneath his coat, Ino inched just enough away from him that things still looked intimate, but it wouldn't hinder him if he had to draw his primary.

"You're still in hot water," Naruto mumbled. Good preparation after the fact didn't void the brash decision she'd made on her own.

"Promise?" she tossed back in that same mock purr.

He simply kept his attention on Sasori. Not easy to do, either. Why did it always feel as if he'd been smacked by a two-by-four whenever he was around Yamanaka Ino?

Just as Naruto suspected, Sasori's office was practically at the end of the hall. And also, as he'd expected, the guard posted himself in the doorway behind them after they'd entered.

Other than the guard, the rest of the office looked normal. A slick thin-screen computer, assorted files and papers. Tasteful watercolor paintings on the walls.

"This is a formality," Sasori explained. He rifled through his desk, presumably looking for that "formality". Naruto angled Ino so if necessary they could return fire in either direction, at Sasori or the guard.

But it wasnt a gun that Sasori pulled out from the drawer but two very official-looking forms.

That didn't cause Naruto, however, to relax.

Keeping a grip on his weapon, Ino picked up a pen off Sasori's desk and scrawled her alias signature. She passed the pen to Naruto, but he waited until he was certain she had a good visual and position before he risked occupying his shooting hand with the pen.

"All done," she announced.

Naruto agreed, and he didn't give Sasori time to say otherwise. He turned and met the guard's gaze head-on. Naruto made sure that the guy understood that one way or another, they would get past him.

Naruto didn't have to tell Ino to watch their backs. She did it on her own. So that she could look over his shoulder, she automatically slid herself against him under the pretense if whispering in his ear. The pretense continued to a nip of his earlobe.

"Are you purposely trying to rile me by not following regulations?" he mumbled as they went out the front door.

"Not really." She simply answered.

Her gaze darted around the area as well. Naruto had gotten lucky with the parking space. He was almost directly in front of the building, and he got her to the car. Fast. He didn't want anyone taking shots at them, at least the bullet-resistant windows gave them some safety.

"Sorry about that impromptu decision I made back there," she continued. "I did that only because I didn't want to tip Sasori – "

"I know what you're doing." Naruto couldn't help it, he huffed. God knows why. Huffing only made him sound like an idiot, and it obviously wouldn't change his partner's approach to this case. Still, he tried.

"Should I go back over the rules of chain command?" he asked her.

Now it was her time to huff.

"Don't give me that. You were about to decide the same thing. There's no way you would have blown this because of the slight additional risk of going into that office."

"Maybe. But we'll never know, will we?" And so that Ino wouldn't continue to argue, he leaned slightly closer to her neck.

"Situation report?" Naruto snarled into her communicator.

"We're still following Hisagi Karin. She appears to be just driving around but in the opposite direction of her last known residence." The officer answered.

Bloody hell. He hated unpredictable people and their unpredictable patterns. "Don't lose her." He commanded.

The moment Naruto got his assurance that they wouldn't, Ino turned off the audio feed function of the communicator,

"You know what you said back there about keeping the kissing to a minimum?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Well, I know we cant avoid it, but when we're doing these phony make-out sessions, steer clear of that little place just below my ear…it's a…big-time erogenous zone for me." She blushed as she told him.

Naruto eyed the spot and was in such an ornery mood, he considered kissing it just so he could prove that he was the one in charge here. Unfortunately, kissing any of her erogenous zones at this point would be just plain unprofessional and would likely end up giving him an erection.

Hardly a bargaining tool in this game of jockeying for control.

"Any place in particular I should avoid kissing you?" she asked.

"Let's just say I'd be attentive to just about anything and leave it at that." He glanced back at the doorway of the Perfect Match building. Not an empty doorway, either. Hiruko Sasori was there, and he was staring straight at them.

Cursing, Naruto latched on to a handful of that platinum blonde mane and hauled her to him, he kissed her all right, but he kept an eye on their spectator. When he was satisfied that he'd done all he could to preserve their cover, Naruto started the car and drove away.

The next step was to go to Ino's fake apartment so they could begin the next phase of the pretense. That meant spending the next four days, and nights. Together.

Alone.

"I thought you said unnecessary kissing wasn't a good idea?" she complained.

"Trust me, it was necessary."

Besides, it was too late to undo it. And sure as heck was too late to stop what they'd put into motion. They'd either succeed together.

Or maybe die trying.

Either was possible.


	6. Chapter 6

"I think I might have found something," she heard Naruto announce from the other room.

Ino leaned back a little so she could glance at him through the bedroom door. For security reasons, they had turned off most of the lights, but it wasn't difficult to see Naruto working on his laptop at the tiny kitchen table in the equally tiny kitchen. There were no windows in that particular area so he was using the dim light over the stove to read through the latest background info on their suspects.

"Hisuko Sasori's long time fiancée broke up with him last month. A bad break up. Very messy." Naruto went on. He positioned one of the other kitchen chairs in front of him and propped up his feet.

"And according to his very chatty personal trainer, he's been psychiatric care since he was a teenager. He suffers from manic-depression coupled with something called radical impulsive tendencies."

"What the heck was the last part?" She opened the suitcase her friend Chouji had packed for her and plundered through it for something she could wear to bed. Hopefully, it'd be something that covered a lot of skin because the apartment only had one small bedroom. The sleeping bag in one corner let her know that she'd be sharing that limited space with Naruto.

Ino took a deep, steadying breath.

"Beats me. Maybe it means Sasori's just an irrational ticked-off killer, as opposed to all those other non ticked-off rational killers we deal with every day," Naruto said.

"Yeah, that'd be a nice change huh?" she joked.

Ino studied the garments and realized she'd gotten her _something to cover a lot of skin_ wish. There was an enormous pair of cartoon superhero pj's, no makeup whatsoever, only a toothbrush for toiletries, jeans and a T-shirt. Her underwear choices were limited to cotton and were the worst ones possible Chouji could have found in her lingerie drawer. If that's where he indeed got them. they looked like Salvation Army rejects. She frowned.

"I just hope that Chouji isn't playing a trick on me by picking this wardrobe…I'll kill him if he does," Ino murmured. Surely, having Chouji as a teammate and accomplice was a blessing. Most likely he sticks on her side, whether the assignment has been legally approved or not. But sometimes it has its hitches. Just like this one. He just doesn't care whether Ino would look like a clown in this mission or not.

"I don't need to flatter him anyway," Ino pushed the thought aside that she was subliminally trying to impress her boss by her choice of sleepwear.

With her limited choices, she opted for the pj's that were dotted with caped and winged crusaders. Ino stepped deeper into the dark bedroom, keeping the door open a crack between them so she could still hear Naruto's ongoing summary of the new reports.

"I think some of the dots are starting to connect," he continued. "Get this – Sasori's shrink is a guy by the name of Dr. Tomoyama Kenji. Ring any bells?"

The moment the name registered, Ino hurriedly put on the pj's and walked back to the doorway.

"He has courted Sakura for three months after her first break up with Sasuke. She thought that it was now over for her and Sasuke and decided to give Tomoyama a chance, but then…" Ino trailed off as Naruto continued for her.

"But then, Sasuke realized that he's making a big mistake so he tried to win back Sakura for the second time. Sakura dumped him immediately before even acknowledging his efforts. A year later, they were engaged and was about to walk the aisle but were murdered." Naruto finished.

Now that was an interesting connection. Their prime suspect, Hiruko Sasori, was in therapy with Sakura's former admirer.

"Coincidence?" she suggested.

"Maybe," Naruto tossed her a glance. And did a double take before he shook his head. "But because he's an 'almost' ex of your besfriend, he's a suspect. I'll have someone question Dr. Tomoyama tomorrow. Too bad I cant do it myself, but I cant risk blowing our cover."

"It might be a risk no matter who does the questioning, especially since he'll just roadblock us with doctor-patient confidentiality. He might even lawyer up. Wouldn't it be a better idea just to have him followed?"

"Then I wouldn't be able to get his reaction when he's asked about his connection to Sasori."

True. And maybe it was worth the risk just to shake things up a little. It might make the sniper think twice about launching another attack over the weekend.

"What exactly are you wearing?" Naruto asked.

She glanced down at the pajamas and shrugged. "I think it belongs in the sleepwear category that my friend Chouji has packed for me."

That seemed to be the only explanation Naruto required. He minimized Sasori's file on the computer screen and clicked on to the next one.

While she waited for it to load, she glanced at Naruto's attire. He still wore the clothes he'd had on for the icebreaker. Well, minus the jacket. His hair was no longer that perfect, however. Probably because he had a habit of scratching his head and running his hand through it while in deep thought.

Despite of that, Ino found her boss very fashionable and equally sexy which sadly for her was the greatest turn-on of all.

"Hisagi Karin," Naruto read aloud.

Good back to business. It was exactly where her mind needed to be. "Anything new on her?" she asked.

"You mean other than the fact that she managed to shake the backup officers who were following her, and now no one knows where she is?" Naruto instantly replied.

"Yes other than that," Ino grumbled.

She made her way around him to the fridge. Ah, she had much better luck there than her suitcase. It was stocked with fruits, sweets and other snacks, but what immediately caught her eye was the six bottles of her favorite sake. It must have been Chouji's peace offering for the botched fashion choices.

"Other than the knack of disappearing," Naruto said glancing over the report, "We don't really have much. we already knew she was a frequent customer as the Perfect Match and that the dead groom had been one of her fairly recent dream matches.

Ino opened a bottle of sake and took a long sip. "Which means nothing, of course. I had over a dozen dream matches so heaven knows how many she's had over the past year."

There. She'd been trying to figure out a way to dismiss the fact that Naruto had been her number one match. Not that it was important, but it'd been one of those little nagging thoughts in the back of her mind.

When he didn't respond, Ino glanced at him. No double take this time. Naruto was staring at her. Well, he was staring at her bottle of sake anyway.

"Want one?" she asked, lifting the bottle. "It's the good stuff. My favorite. I'll have to thank Chouji for buying it." She told him.

"Actually, I asked him to pick it up when he wanted to know what to bring over." He casually replied.

Ino had already reached for the fridge, but that brought her hand to a stop. She forced herself not to stop for too long so it wouldn't appear she was shocked by that revelation.

"Well then, I owe you the thanks instead." She took out a bottle from the fridge, handed it to him and left it at that.

Naruto closed down the files and started in on his beer. It was obviously his favorite as well.

"Agreeing to go into that back office with Sasori wasn't a safe idea," he let her know.

Oh, that. She hadn't thought for a minute that he'd forget it.

"No, but it was a smart one. Come on, you were on the verge of following him, but I just got around to saying it first." She explained.

He didn't agree, or disagree. Naruto sat there, staring into space while slowly sliding his fingers through the moisture on the longneck bottle.

Fuck.

Even that made her body think of erotic things that it shouldn't be thinking about.

"Talk to me about Shikamaru," she said to give her body something else to contemplate. "About this so-called investigation that the chief ordered regarding preferential treatment."

"That got Naruto's attention off blank space. He looked at her again. "Is this the part where you tell me to back off and leave your friend alone?"

"Something like that. He's had a rough time recently." She retorted.

He nodded. "Yeah. I heard. Im sorry about his wife's death."

"His wife's murder," Ino quickly corrected. "She was murdered last year while she's off-duty. The case has been practically cold. There are no arrests, and no leads. Shikamaru has to live with that every single moment of his life. Any idea what that does to a good cop, to know he cant solve his own wife's murder?"

Another nod came from the spiky blonde male.

"By nodding, I guess you mean to imply that you understand, but there's no way you could. Temari was like a sister to me. She's a good friend. A loving wife, and a doting mother." Ino went on. There was a lot more emotion in her voice than she wanted. But then, she never thought to discuss this objectively.

"Shikamaru loved her, and it rips his heart to shreds to know that her killer is still out there somewhere."

"Im sorry." Came Naruto's reply. It probably would have been easier for him to turn his attention back to the condensation on his sake bottle, or anywhere else for that matter, but he didn't. Naruto kept his gaze firmly on her. "Do you honestly think that I'd believe there's a preferential treatment just because it's an allegation?"

She opened her mouth. Closed it. And frowned. And silently cursed him. It was a dirty-pool kind of question, one that diffused the indignation she'd planned to hang on to a little longer. It was a good barrier against his manly effects on her.

"Shikamaru is lucky to have you and Chouji," Naruto said, getting up from his chair. "And you're lucky to have them too. I can see that the three of you treat each other as family."

She couldn't help it. She smiled. But she suppressed it as quickly as possible. "Does that mean Chouji had this same chat with you?"

"Twice." He simply answered.

Ino had to suppress a smile again. "I'll bet those were interesting conversations, especially your rank is above his. But let me make this clear to you, if you hurt Shika, I'll make you pay."

Naruto appeared to suppress his own smile this time. "Like I said, he's lucky to have you." He tipped his head toward the windows in the living room. "Don't stand in here too long."

Because someone might already be watching them. if the killer hadn't already scoped them out, then he or she would be doing it very soon. It was best not to be in his direct line of fire when that happened.

He glanced at his watch. "It's almost midnight. We've got an early morning ahead of us."

"Should we turn off the lights?" she asked, going into the bedroom ahead of him. She placed her slide holster on the nightstand next to her badge, primary weapon and the communicator that she'd already turned off. Then Ino stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"No. we should look…active," Naruto responded. "That way it'll convince the killer that we're on our way to becoming a bride and groom."

"Too bad I don't have a pair of those blow-up dolls we could parade past the window every now and then." She paused, and was thankful she wasn't in the same room with him so he could see the blush rise on her cheeks. "I'm _so_ sorry I said that."

He chuckled softly. An incredibly sexy male sound that made her want to pound her head against the wall.

This was going to be such a long week.

From the mirror, she watched Naruto add his two guns and his badge to the nightstand, amking the rather small piece of furniture look even smaller under the arsenal. He had his shirt halfway stripped off before he stopped and snagged her gaze. "I don't have pajamas. If you're the blushing sort, you might want to look away."

Yeah right. She was about a hundred percent certain her eyes had no intention of cooperating with that suggestion. She didn't even fight it. Ino watched his reflection. A not so-cheap thrill. And has the privilege of seeing him toss that shirt aside. At least a dozen muscles flexed in his arms and chest as they responded to the simple gesture.

A simple gesture that caused her mouth to go dry.

Mercy.

She forced herself to finish brushing her teeth and even looked away when his pants came off. Well, briefly looked away. She thanked her lucky stars that he kept on a pair of dark blue boxers.

"Will this temporary housekeeping arrangement cause any personal problems for you?" he asked.

"If that's a subtle way of asking me if I'm involved with anyone, the answer's no." it made her sound like a social leper. Which wasn't really that far off the mark.

"Not even Chouji?" Ino could feel that one of his eyebrows was raised as he brought up Chouji's name.

"No. Not even Chouji. Chouji's a dear friend. He's more like a brother to me. I even invited him to be my roommate. That's how I love him. We're inseparable but not in the way people thought us to be." She clarified.

"Oh, I see. I was just a little curious about the real deal between you two." He confessed.

Rather than remind him that most men weren't turned on by a woman packing a badge and a couple of Glocks, Ino went for levity instead.

"My last boyfriend was a sex therapist who broke up with me because he said I was too aggressive in bed."

She paused a heartbeat before she let their gazes connect again. Yep. The startled look on his face had been worth it.

"It's a joke." She let him know.

Other than a slight sound of amusement, that was his only reaction. So much for levity. When she went into the bedroom, he strolled into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Actually, my last boyfriend was an accountant who broke up with me because he said I was too wrapped up in my job," she confessed and climbed into bed. "Hard to make someone feel even remotely important when you're never around. He got fed up and left me for a kindergarten teacher."

Still no response.

"How about you?" she asked.

"No one current." He came out of the bathroom, and she made a point of looking away. She'd already overdosed on his great bod. No need for more.

"The last woman in my life was a kindergarten teacher, who left me for an accountant."

Okay…so that broke the ice that had already been thawing between them. she laughed. Then bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh again.

"Whether that one's a joke or not, let me get something straight. I don't want to like you, Uzumaki." She aimed her finger at him.

He leaned over as if to kiss her goodnight, letting his mouth come very close to hers. Breath met breath. And then he turned off the light. "I agree completely."

She lay there silently cursing him. But not for long. His head had hardly hit the pillow on the floor before the phone rang. Since it was supposed to be her apartment, Ino rolled to the side of the bed and answered it.

"It's me," she heard her friend Chouji say on the other line.

"Chouji, just the man I wanted to talk to."

Naruto must have felt the same because he pressed the speaker function on the phone. Probably because he wanted to hear anything official. But the official part would have to wait.

"Thanks for the expert fucking…I mean, packing job," she tossed at Chouji. "You do know that this'll cost you in slow painful ways you cant even imagine, right?"

"I'm trembling in my Doc Martens," he responded. But the sarcasm wasn't nearly strong enough, and it didn't come close to masking his concern. "I'll drop by in the morning, pretending to deliver breakfast. Anything I can bring you?"

"You mean other than Starbucks and some real clothes?" Ino inquired cautiously, feeling him out.

"Yeah, other than that." He simply answered.

Heck. He was placating her.

Never a good sign.

"What about you Uzumaki? You need anything?" Chouji asked.

Mercy. He'd moved from placating to being nice.

"No thanks." Naruto let him know. "I've got some things in the trunk of my car."

Chouji paused. Never a good sign, either.

"So the plan is for you two to pick up Ino's car in the morning and then not come up for air again until it's time to announce your engagement at Perfect Match on Thursday?"

"Great summary." But Ino had reached her threshold for beating around the bush. "Spill it, Chouji. What's wrong?"

"Im not sure exactly." Yet another hesitation. "Someone's digging through the fake files we created for your covers."

"We expected that," Naruto pointed out. He sat up in his sleeping bag, leaning back against the side of the mattress.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect them to go at this way. It's sloppy. Damn sloppy. And that slop leads right to Sasori. It makes me uncomfortable."

Ino knew exactly how he felt. Sasori might be a killer, but from all accounts he was smart. If the cyber trail led to him, then it was probably because someone wanted them to think Sasori had done it.

Yakushi Kabuto, maybe?

Of course, there was also the angle that by being sloppy, Sasori was giving himself a very convincing out.

"If he's that smart," Ino mumbled. "We're in serious trouble."

"Yeah." Chouji agreed.


	7. Chapter 7

"_If he's that smart," Ino mumbled. "We're in serious trouble."_

"_Yeah," Chouji agreed._

_

* * *

  
_

Naruto glanced at the platinum blonde. He had that did-I-miss-something? Look. At least she thought that's what that glance was about until he shrugged.

"I don't care how smart Sasori is. If he's making these sloppy searches to cover the fact that he's the sniper, we'll still stop him." A frustrated sigh left the platinum blonde's lips.

Well, they were all on the same page. Interesting. Most outsiders, including fellow cops, had trouble following Chouji's and her thought's processes.

"There's more," Chouji continued. "It sucks, so brace yourself. I got a call from an editor friend at the Express news. There'll be a story about the two shootings in the morning paper. They're linking them."

"We knew this was coming," Ino offered.

"An article, yeah. But there'll be photos. Some apparently taken at the icebreaker tonight. There'll be one with Uzumaki and you, kissing."

Okay. So they hadn't known about this.

Fuck.

A photo.

"Supposedly, it's a grainy shot, and you're in a lip lock, but still…" Chouji's explanation trailed off, leaving them with a general idea that this was not a good thing.

"How'd they get the photo?" Naruto asked.

"Hiruko Sasori. He takes stills from the security feed. For some reason, he gave the press a couple of them when they came around sniffing for a story about two hours ago."

And because she and Naruto had signed those consent forms, it was all perfectly legal.

"He's suspicious." Ino sighed.

"It could be a ploy to get you to back off." Chouji suggested. "Because something like this darn sure wouldn't be good for business."

"Or maybe he's going for another sloppy tactic so he can cover his butt," Naruto contributed. "The real killer probably wouldn't give up photos of potential victims, but a ruthless businessman trying to get some free publicity might." He cursed. "Or a killer who wanted to appear to be an honest businessman."

Neither Chouji nor Ino disagreed with him.

"This changes nothing." Naruto insisted a moment later. "We'll stick with the plan and lay low here until Thursday afternoon when we'll make a return visit to Perfect Match. If the photo's clearer than expected, or if it causes any unwanted press, then I'll deal with it."

"You do that," Chouji fired back.

Ino huffed because she understood that tone. It was his brotherly warning for her to be careful.

"I'm not stupid." She quickly responded. Ino reached over and hung up.

Naruto gave her another of those looks, except this time she was fairly sure he was puzzled. "He's worried about us." She interpreted.

And apparently, with reason.

The game had just escalated from dangerous to deadly. But then, Ino had known from day one that it was an inevitable escalation. Playing the killer's deadly game was the only way to stop him.

A loud ringing sound jarred Naruto from the dream to beat all dreams. He snapped to a sitting position and groped for the phone, the alarm or whatever the hell was making the noise so he could stop it.

Ino cursed, a couple of phrases worthy of the awful racket. However, her profanity clipped off unexpectedly about a split second after she latched on to her gun and fell off the bed.

She landed right on top of him.

His hands were suddenly filled with her. A warm, firm, armed woman who smelled like a strange mixture of sex and gunmetal. Her eyes were still ripe with sleep, and she blinked several times, staring at him as if trying to figure out how she'd gotten in his lap.

Ino obviously wasn't a morning person, either.

Thankfully, the noise stopped so Naruto could get his bearings. It didn't take long, especially when he realized her fall had aligned their bodies in the best and worst, possible ways. She was straddling him, her long athletic legs resting against the sides of his hips.

And he had an erection.

It was a product of the dream he'd been having. About her. She noticed it. But then, it would have been impossible not to notice.

"One of the advantages of being a woman," she mumbled, her gaze drifting in the direction of where he was certainly testing the limits of his boxers. "WE don't wear our…hearts on our sleeves."

"Smart-ass." He tossed back, because frankly he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Laughing lazily, she climbed off him. Staggered. And would have probably landed in his lap again if he hadn't caught her.

Specifically, her left butt cheek.

Not the particular part of her anatomy he'd wanted to grab, but it was either that or risk having accidental sex with her.

Naruto wasn't certain he didn't want that to happen.

Well, almost certain anyway.

"I think it was the doorbell." Ino glanced at the clock. "Seven forty-five. It has to be Chouji. If he doesn't have coffee with him, he's a dead man."

Naruto got to his feet, somehow and fought through the haze still in his head. When the buzzing sound started again, he realized she was right. it was the doorbell. And yep, it was probably Chouji.

Still, Naruto wasn't about to take any chances. He pulled on his pants, grabbed his gun and headed into the living room.

"Be careful." She whispered unnecessarily.

He would. No amount of fatigue or dream remnants would cause him to do away with standard procedures. Naruto eased against the wall, moving slowly. Quietly. Keeping away from the door, he lifted the blinds a fraction and peeked out.

Not Chouji.

"It's Kabuto." Naruto let her know.

She already had her gun, but that caused her to assume a defensive position. No more ripe sleepy blinks or lazy laughter. She morphed into the cop.

Naruto took another look outside. Kabuto appeared to be holding some papers and wasn't visibly armed.

Which didn't mean anything.

Kabuto wasn't the type to carry concealed.

"Back me up," Naruto reminded her.

Using the door to hide his gun, Naruto opened it. Not a fraction either. He might need the extra space if he had to fire.

"Yeah?" he greeted Kabuto. Not nicely, either.

Surprise went through Kabuto's eyes, and when he tried to speak, he fumbled his words. Definitely not the slick player he'd portrayed the night before at the icebreaker.

"I wanted to drop these off for Ino," Kabuto said, offering the papers to Naruto. "It's a copy of the release form she signed and the questionnaire she originally filled out. I thought she'd like them for her personal records. Oh, and here's the newspaper, it was on this side of the stairs so I figured it was hers."

Naruto took the items with his left hand so he could still hold on to his gun. "This couldn't wait until later?"

Kabuto shrugged. "I was headed to work to get an early start and decided to drop it off on my way."

"Right." the apartment wasn't on the way to Perfect Match. Kabuto was checking on them. Now, the real question was, why? Was it because he was the killer, or because he'd planned to hit on Ino again?

If it was the latter, the man had a death wish.

One more attempt by Kabuto to grope her breasts and Ino would almost certainly go after him. And Naruto would stand back and let her.

"So are you off from work today or what?" Kabuto asked.

"I decided to take a little vacation time."

"From your freelance journalism job?" Kabuto paused as if waiting for Naruto to confirm that. Naruto didn't.

"Im the one who ran your computer matches. Personally, I figured you'd go for the blond speech therapist but then I didn't know about your past with Ino."

It seemed like a good idea to just nod. For a man on a delivery mission, Kabuto was asking a lot of questions and providing a lot of unnecessary information.

Naruto heard Ino move around behind him, but he had no idea what she was up to until she ducked under his arm and snuggled against him. She'd stripped off her pajama bottoms, tousled her hair around her face, and with the top that hit her at mid-thigh, she looked as if she'd just finished up a thoroughly satisfying round of sex. And was ready for round two.

"Ino," Kabuto attempted a smile and failed.

"Morning, Yakushi. It's early." She slid her arm around Naruto's waist, and with her right hand, she pressed her gun directly against the back side of the door. She aimed it straightly at Kabuto. With that Glock, she'd easily be ably to shoot through the thick wood if necessary.

Kabuto tipped his head to the forms he'd just given to Naruto. "I decided to drop off those."

"I heard."

Her tone conveyed no interest whatsoever, and she eased her left hand slightly lower. From Naruto's waist and just into his pants – which he hadn't gotten around to zipping fully. She rubbed her fingers gently over the muscles that led directly to his groin. It wasn't just an intimate gesture. It was a sexually charged one.

"Thanks," she added to Kabuto.

There was a definite "get lost" at the end of it. For extra measure, she put her mouth against Naruto's ear, mumbled a seriously raunchy suggestion that involved them naked on the kitchen table. She issued a goodbye, shut the door in their visitor's face and locked it.

"If Kabuto had any doubts about us being lovers," Ino whispered as she took her hand from his hands, "he doesn't now."

No. The charade was about good as it could get. Maybe even a little too good.

Man.

Naruto stood there for a moment and tried to get his lungs to work.

How the devil was he supposed to handle three and a half more days of this?

While he was staving off another erection, she took the newspaper from him, tore off the plastic wrapper and sank onto the sofa.

"Good news. We didn't make the front page." A moment later, she groaned. "But we made it on the second."

Ino held it up for him to see. There were three small black and white photos accompanying the article entitled "Dying for Love?" Theirs was in the center, and even though they were practically wrapped around each other, Ino's face was visible.

And clear.

Too clear.

"No," she snarled, looking directly at him. She tossed the paper aside and practically charged him.

"You're cover might have been compromised," Naruto pointed out.

"Might is the operative word there. But if you pull me now, it'll take weeks to create another cover – if that's even possible at this point. I wont let innocent people die because there's a possibility that someone could identify me from that photo."

In addition to her hand, the woman certainly knew where to aim her arguments. Naruto didn't want anyone else dying, either – including her.

"Please," she added.

That cost her. No doubt about it. It was as close to begging as Yamanaka Ino probably ever got, and it had to have stung her pride for him to be the recipient of that request.

Naruto groaned, knowing how this would play out. "I would attach a condition or two – something along the lines of insisting you follow orders and don't improvise – but I wont bother."

"Does that mean you wont cut me from the case?" she asked, aqua colored orbs, wide with surprise.

He nodded, after making her wait a couple of seconds.

"Not unless I have definite proof that your cover's been blown. And don't you dare smile, Yamanaka, because you know I just handed you a gift."

No smile. Not even close. But he did see a lot of relief on her face.

"Thank you. You wont regret it."

Wrong.

He already did. A lot. But for better or worse, Ino was his best shot at stopping another murder.

* * *

Dr. Tomoyama's interview is about to start," Naruto called out. "You were right, he lawyered up."

Ino hurriedly applied a slathering of some pale raspberry lipstick that her mother had packed and gave her skirt – suit a quick adjustment. The short mocha outfit wouldn't have been her first choice for a return visit to Perfect Match to announce her "engagement", but it was either that or a cherry-red slip dress she hadn't worn since college.

Heaven knows what Chouji had told her mother about the particular assignment, but it was obvious the woman believed Ino needed to show some leg. Maybe she'd seen the photo of Naruto in the paper. That meant her regular Sunday brunch, would have to do some damage control before her folks started planning a real wedding.

When she joined him in the kitchen, Naruto already had the laptop opened on the table, and even though he had his attention fixed on the screen, he was also putting on his shoes. Unlike her semi-sex kitten attire, he'd gone for the brooding businessman look.

Dark blue pants and a matching button-down shirt. Since his coat was draped over the chair, that likely meant he'd be using it again to camouflage his shoulder holster.

"Did you ever meet Dr. Tomoyama?" he asked.

"No. Never had the chance. Sakura and he weren't seen in public that long."

While she poured them both cups of coffee, she studied the video feed of the man who'd once been her bestfriend's admirer.

Tomoyama's expensive suit was perfect. Ditto for his bronzed-colored hair, but those eyes were all barracuda.

"Sakura's mom and I use the same hairdresser," Ino continued. The coffee was hours old, bitter and way too strong, but she gulped it down anyway so she could have her caffeine fix.

"According to her, Kenji liked to play mind games, and he was always ragging of Sakura, always taking shots at her self-esteem." She sighed.

"So much for a guy who's interested in her. No wonder your friend didn't gave him a chance." Naruto commented with a shrug.

Yes, and because of that they'd added Dr. Tomoyama Kenji to the top of their list of murder suspects and had spent much of the previous day going through his background check.

Well, that and trying avoid each other.

The close quarters weren't exactly conducive to avoidance, especially since they had to share the same computer, same reports, same bedroom and same bathroom. But they'd both done their best to keep the other at arm's length. In between that arm's length however, the air kept crackling between them.

Ino sipped her coffee and tried to push that uncomfortable realization aside.

"Did Tomoyama say why he wasn't available for an interview yesterday?" she asked.

"He claimed he couldn't rearrange his schedule."

Claimed was right. He likely wanted to discuss strategy with his lawyer before "voluntarily" coming to police headquarters for questioning. In fact, it was her guess that the lawyer by Tomoyama's side had used a good portion of that extra twenty-four hours to coach his client as to exactly what to say.

And what not to say.

After all, Tomoyama wasn't just linked to Sasori. He was linked to the murdered bride. That would have caused a tense moment or two for an attorney.

Detective Hyuuga Hinata was the officer doing the interview. Under different circumstances, Ino would have asked Chouji to do it, but since he'd been at the apartment twice in the past twenty-four hours, Naruto decided it was an unnecessary risk to take. Even though her friend had worn a delivery man's disguise, if someone had been carefully watching the place – like Dr. Tomoyama, for example – it wouldn't be difficult to make the connection with Chouji's sturdy build.

As expected, Hinata started with the basics and just as Naruto suggested, she mentioned the remote possibility that the shootings were somehow loosely associated with clients from the Perfect Match Agency. For good measure, she even hinted at the article that had appeared in the newspaper the day before. Then, Hinata went in for the bull's eye and asked Tomoyama about his relationship with Sasori.

"I'm afraid I can't discuss anything regarding a patient," he crisply assured the brunette. "If that's why I'm here then you're wasting my time." Said the doctor coldly.

"As slick as slime," Ino mumbled.

"So Hiruko Sasori is your patient?" Hinata commented. But she didn't wait for him to verify it. "He was vague about that yesterday when we questioned him."

Ah, now there was a reaction. Tomoyama's aristocratic mouth tightened for a fraction of a second. Now the trick was to decide if that gesture meant he was riled about the detective's 'got-ya' comment or Sasori's vagueness during questioning. A vagueness that would obviously make the police wonder why Sasori felt a reason to hold back information.

"It's good to see him squirm," Naruto said, glancing at her. The glance turned into a double-take, just as he'd done with her pj's that first night. Ino resisted the urge to adjust her skirt again. No matter how much she tugged and pulled, the fabric wasn't going to stretch.

Thankfully, Hinata got his attention off the skirt when she continued the interrogation. The detective went through the other questions, but they were window dressing, since it was Tomoyama's actual responses they were interested in but the way he reacted.

Hinata played her part to a tee. And she made just enough eye contact and kept the right inflection in her voice to let Tomoyama know that he was indeed a suspect. When she finished, Tomoyama didn't waste any time getting out of there.

Naruto didn't waste any time either. He grabbed his phone and pressed a few buttons. A moment later, Ino heard Hinata's own phone ring on the audio feed of the computer. "Have him followed," Naruto ordered when Hinata answered. "Not closely enough though. And I don't want him approached so he can claim harassment."

He ended the call, clipped the tiny cellphone to his belt and got up. "After I shave, we'll leave for the Perfect Match."

Ino almost told him that she'd prefer if he skipped that particular grooming step, but then she'd have explain why. There was already enough male-female stuff going on between them without her letting him know that she'd like his aftershave scent.

While she put on her slide holster and checked the communicator she'd threaded under her collar, her gaze landed on the papers Naruto left on the table. Specifically her questionnaire, which Kabuto had dropped off the previous morning. It was opened to page three, the section that dealt with her preferences for leisure activities.

Had Naruto been reading it?

If so, did he have any idea that the answers were true?

Ino didn't allow her ridiculous, hormone-induced speculations to go beyond that. After all, there were probably dozens of legitimate reasons why Naruto would be reading her file.

Too bad none of those dozen legitimate reasons readily came to mind.

Curious now, she sat at the computer and did a search to find his file. Within a couple of seconds, she'd pulled up the bogus information the department had created for him. She went one step beyond that, and with her password, she located his official record.

She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the bedroom, to make sure he wasn't watching. He wasn't. from the sound of his electric razor, he was in the bathroom still ridding himself of his sexy stubbles.

His official photo loaded, as did the rest of the info. Uzumaki Naruto. He was twenty-eight. A military brat and an only child. He'd lived all over the world until his eighteenth birthday, when he'd left for college and then the police academy.

"Wow." Ino managed to say when she glanced through the list of his awards and recognitions. He had a slew of them. Those accolades accounted for not just one early promotion or two. He was a super cop by anyone's standards.

But she hadn't needed a file to tell her that.

A notation near the bottom caught her eye. Just a month before his transfer to H.L.P.D., he'd taken leave, and the code beside it was one she recognized. Whatever had generated that time off required a clean psych evaluation before he could return to the job. Interesting. He'd either killed someone in the line of duty or else the leave was of a particularly stressful, personal nature.

"Find anything?" she heard him ask.

Busted.

What is she going to say now that he's caught her in the act?

* * *

*Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you enjoyed reading this episode. Btw, I'm looking for someone who's good with making a fan art. I was wondering if we could collaborate with each other everytime I have a new entry. Anyone interested can send me a personal message. Thank you. And have a prosperous new year!

-Ino Ishii


	8. Chapter 8

I've been updating this story as soon as I can because classes would resume and that means I wouldn't be able to update easily due to schoolworks and stuff. Please do understand that I'm trying my best. And don't worry, I'll finish this story. You'll just have to give me time. For the meantime, here's the 8th installment of the Wedding Sniper. I apologize for the short episode. I promise I'll make it up to you guys. Anyway, please dont forget to R&R. Your continuous support inspires me. Thanks much.

~ Ino Ishii

* * *

Ino didn't even try to hide it. Not that she could have anyway since his picture was right there on the screen. Instead, she pushed her questionnaire, still opened to page three, to the side so he'd know this was a tit for tat kind of invasion of privacy.

As opposed to just a plain ordinary invasion.

"You lived in England for three years," she commented. "When your father was stationed there."

"You run a six-minute mile," he countered. "While listening to Disturbed."

She was outdone by the sergeant. As she was thinking of something to say,

"Your mother and father were both cops."

Frowning, she swiveled around in the chair. "That wasn't on the questionnaire."

"No, but it was in your personnel file." His gaze drifted to her clothes, and her legs. "Nice skirt."

Ino was sure her frown deepened.

"Is that a ploy to get me to forget you were in my file?"

"No. It's a ploy to let you off the hook for snooping in mine." He let a small black velvet box in her lap, right on her skirt. "If you want to know something about me, Yamanaka, just ask."

She would have questioned him about that personal leave, but the box suddenly captured her complete attention. It was the right size and the right shape. Well, depending on one's perspective, it was right. it was not so right from her perspective.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It is, if you think it's an engagement ring." He proceeded to fix his communicator under his collar. "We need it for the announcement."

Okay. So those two simple words, 'engagement ring' shouldn't have sent her stomach into a tailspin, but they did. Jeez, it was such a girl reaction. And for nothing, since it was all show anyway.

Ino opened the box as if it were live explosives and came face to face not with some gaudy lifestyle statement but rather a tastefully delicate diamond set in beautifully etched gold. Definitely a wow.

"It looks real." She mumbled while tracing the gold band with her forefinger.

"It is. It belonged to my mother." Replied the spiky-blonde male.

"Oh sheez." His mother's? Could this possibly get any more uncomfortable?

"I cant wear something like that." Ino shook her head. Her long platinum blonde locks swayed from side to side as she shook her head.

"Sure you can. Well, provided it fits." He took it from the box and slipped it onto her finger. No fan-fare. No awkward pause to ponder the moment. Certainly no romantic words or gazes.

It fit.

"Okay, let's go." He ordered.

He would have probably been out the door if his phone hadn't rung. Ino grabbed her purse while he answered it. As she moved the meager sunlight slanting through the windows caught the facets of the diamond and sent a rainbow dancing around the room. She turned the ring around so it wouldn't happen again.

She needed rainbows about as much as she needed a real engagement to Uzumaki Naruto.

"Did he?" she heard Naruto asked his caller.

But it wasn't the usual inquiry. Like the ring box, it snared Ino's attention and caused her to tune in to his conversation.

"No. No change in plans," he continued. He hung up and looked at her. "Guess where Tomoyama's headed to?"

"Perfect Match?" Ino repeated the words and took out the questioning inflection. Of course, that's where Tomoyama would go. He wanted answers as to why Sasori had brought him into this investigation. And that meant if they hurried, they had the opportunity to hear what Sasori was saying to his shrink. A way to kill two birds with one stone.

Naruto paused and combed his gaze over her. "Are you sure he won't recognize you?"

"Positive."

Well, not positive, exactly. She had no idea if Sakura had ever shown Tomoyama her photo, but she couldn't let a mere possibility hold her back now. If Kabuto was at work, it would be the first time they'd have their three primary suspects under the same roof. It was perhaps the break they'd been looking for.

Or maybe it would be the very confrontation to make a killer snap.

Ino checked her primary and backup weapon to make sure she was ready.

* * *

As they'd planned on the trip over, Ino lured the receptionist from her desk with a bogus emergency request for her to show her the location of the ladies room. Naruto used the ploy to walk past the clients who were filling out questionnaires so he could slip unannounced into the hall that led to Sasori's office. Since Dr. Tomoyama wasn't around, that meant he was probably in there with Sasori.

Along the way, Naruto looked for the security guard and cameras to make sure he hadn't missed one.

No guard today, and the only he spotted was the one in the reception area. It had obviously supplied the photo for the newspaper article and could still possibly be monitoring the hall. So he plastered a silly grin on his face while he was trying to eavesdrop.

Best to keep up the façade of the happily engaged man.

Unlike Tomoyama. Who didn't sound happy at all.

The man was was practically shouting.

Naruto heard him when he was still several yards from Sasori's office door. Not a very shrinklike behavior. Rather, Tomoyama seemed to be in the middle of a Prozac–required moment.

"But why even mention my name?" Tomoyama snarled.

Thankfully they'd left the door slightly ajar. Naruto saw Sasori shake his head.

"Im not sure I did." Sasori replied.

"But you must have! What the hell, Sasori, these people think you might know something about those two shootings. Why would you purposely let them believe you're unstable by telling them you were in therapy?"

Another head shake. This one more frantic than the first.

"I swear, I don't think your name even came up in the conversation. And they don't suspect me. They cant. They said their visit was just routine." The red-haired male responded.

Ino emerged from the other end of the hall, which meant she'd found a way to the office without going back past the receptionist. She puckered her lips in a 'shh' gesture and quietly walked to him. One glance at the camera in the reception room, and she stepped into Naruto's arms.

But she didn't just step.

She immediately launched into her lover's pose.

She pressed her body against Naruto's and brushed a kiss on his jaw.

"Routine?!" Tomoyama repeated. "There's nothing routine about a police interrogation. Please tell me your lawyer was here when you spoke to them." The doctor's eyes were tight shut.

"No." Sasori paled a little. "I didn't think it was necessary."

"Well, from now on, it is. I cant afford to have my name dragged through the mud again." after delivering a terse goodbye, Tomoyama turned and stormed out. He paused when he spotted Naruto and gave him only a dismissive glance. Tomoyama might have done the same to Ino if she hadn't buried her face against Naruto's neck.

Definitely not good.

"I though you said he wouldn't recognize you?" Naruto whispered when Tomoyama was out of earshot.

She shook her head. "He didn't."

Which of course, didn't answer his question at all.

"Why are you here?" Sasori asked. He was staring at them through the now fully opened door.

"We'd like to talk to you." Naruto made sure he grinned. Ino did her part by sliding her body against his.

Well, it was more than just a slide. She hooked her fingers onto his belt – and into the waist of his pants.

"We have great news." She said by adding a supposedly excited tone in her statement.

Sasori mumbled something indistinguishable, sighed and shoved both his hands through his hair. "Give me a couple of minutes." And to make sure he had that time to himself, he shut the door.

Naruto clicked off the communicator, checked to make sure hers was off as well. And looked down at her.

"Put your hands in my pants this time, and I'll take you where you stand."

Ino didn't look quite as shocked as he'd hoped. In fact, she didn't looked shocked at all.

She looked…well..interested. and a little bit disgusted with herself for showing that interest.

Naruto knew exactly how she felt.

"We're in trouble here Uzumaki," she added a shake of her head to his disgusted expression. "Because I swear that sounded more like foreplay than a threat."

He fought hard, to hold on to what little composure he had left.

"I really didn't need to hear that, okay?"

"You're right." Another headshake. She huffed and glanced at Sasori's closed door. Like Naruto, she was probably hoping the man would open it. Soon. It might save the both of them from doing something they'd almost certainly regret.

"Besides, it's just all this forced intimacy that's making us think like this," she mumbled. She even repeated a slightly different variation of it as if trying to convince herself.

Again, Naruto knew exactly how she felt.

"We just have to remember that the kissing and touching are fake," she concluded.

But Naruto wasn't ready to conclude things just yet. He had one point of contention left. "Including the part where you put your hand in my pants?"

"Would I do something like that just for amusement?" But she waved him off. "Don't..dont answer that for your own sanity, let's just say…everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, we've done for the past couple of days has been an act."

It was the right thing to say. The right thing, period. She'd given them both a much-needed out. That's why Naruto couldn't understand why he didn't take that out.

Instead, he slid his hand around the back of her neck and dragged her to him. Not that he had to drag her far.

She was already so close he could almost taste her.

So that's exactly what he decided to do. He lowered his head and took her mouth as if it were his for the taking.

* * *

The jolt was instant.

No cool, gentle touch of lips. Not this. This was all fire. All pleasure. All silk and heat. Not that Ino expected anything less from Naruto, and that made it all the more dangerous.

Did it stop her?

No.

One jolt from his mouth and she was beyond a place where reason and stopping made no sense at all. Instead, she took. She let him claim. Ravage. And when she thought it couldn't possibly get any better, or worse, he upped the ante with the mating of their tongues. The intimate joining of their mouths. The warmth of their bodies sliding against each other, practically fighting to get closer.

To touch more.

To feel more.

It was as close to sex as they could get without clothing removal.

He twirled his tongue inside the soft recesses of her mouth while his hands began to slide up and down her back. The spiky-blonde male crushed the smaller blonde's frame into his sturdy build as he French-kissed her deeper.

He made a sound. A groan of breath that was male through and through. And possibly the most erotic sound Ino had ever heard.

The platinum blonde felt the world tilt on its axis. The sound of his groan sends a different pulse of electricity in the center of her thighs she didn't want to name.

This was wrong. So wrong. But everything about it seemed so very right.

She thought of stopping but she just couldn't.

She moaned against Naruto's mouth. His kiss was driving her real mad. She wanted to lose herself. If only he'll take her now.

Not wanting to lose the battle, she returned the kiss with as much passion. Her hands traveled over the terrains of his sculptured chest. Her fingers exploring his rock hard abs underneath the tailored shirt he's wearing. She sucked on his tongue while her fingertips familiarize on the body beneath her touch.

Both blondes were very much enjoying this sudden display of their so-called fake affection. As Naruto kissed his partner deeply, his hands roamed to cup Ino's breasts, which immediately earned him a moan from the platinum blonde female.

It looks like Ino has no intention of letting up, she slid her hand to the crotch of Naruto's pants and gave his already hardening member a playful and seductive squeeze.

"Mmmhhmm..." Naruto moaned as he felt his partner grab his most lethal weapon.

Somehow, after several more minutes of tongue wrestling, exchanging of moans and groans and a few intimate touches here and there, Ino managed to force herself to back off. And she almost lost that battle. It took a moment before she managed to say anything.

"That wasn't for show," she informed him. A really dumb thing to say, but what the heck? It was hard to beat the mother of all dumb things – that kiss.

"I figured that out by myself." He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. The gesture gave Ino goosebumps as she stared at his swollen lip. "We cant do it again though because it…felt better than it should have."

You bet it did. And not only that. It felt better than it should have while they were standing only yards away from a murder suspect.

A suspect who opened the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi everyone! It's been a month since my last update, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I hope that this chapter would prove to be worth your wait, though.^_^

R&R please.

~Ino Ishii

* * *

Ino put on the best fake smile she could manage, and while easing her right hand to her slide holster, she flashed her engagement ring to Sasori.

"Naruto and I are getting married." She added some excitement to her tone, as well, and she didn't totally have to fake that part. There was excitement racing through her all right, and it wasn't all related to that kiss Naruto had just laid on her. There was something downright spooky about the way Sasori was acting.

Was the man about to go psycho on them?

Naruto must have considered that as well because he too adjusted his position so it would be easier for him to het to his weapon.

"Congratulations are in order," Sasori finally said after a silence that was too long and too much uncomfortable. "Come this way, we'll celebrate." He continued.

Ino didn't relax yet. Hopefully, celebrating was all he had in mind. She stayed side by side with Naruto as they started down the hall toward the reception area.

"Say, wasn't that Dr. Tomoyama who just left your office?" Naruto asked, sounding remarkably casual.

There was nothing casual, however, about Sasori's response. From over his shoulder, he gave Naruto a chilly, "Yes."

Ino ignored the frosty tone since they needed more info from him that that solo affirmative.

"Wow. He's practically a local celebrity. I'm in therapy, you know. In fact, my therapist thinks I've gone off deep end by getting engaged to Naruto. But I know it's the right thing to do. That's why we don't want to wait." She paused only long enough to draw breath. "Wonder what Dr. Tomoyama would have to say about that?"

It was a weak attempt to get Sasori to open up. And an unsuccessful one. He didn't say a word about therapy or Tomoyama. But his silence told her loads. That shouting session with Tomoyama had upset him, no doubt about it, but he was keeping it inside for the most part. No fists through walls. No profanity. A still-waters-run-deep kind of person.

So how would a man like that kill?

Would he gun down happy brides and grooms because his own fiancée had crushed his hopes of having an equally happy life? If so, how could Naruto and she stop him from trying to kill again?

As those questions ran through her head, Sasori paused at one of the doors. Knocked once. And opened it. Kabuto was seated at a desk littered with computers and other equipment.

"We need champagne." Sasori advised him. "Meet us in reception."

Ino's gaze connected with Kabuto's. His disapproving gaze. She made a mental note not to sample the champagne in case he decided to poison it.

"Something tells me they've done this before," Naruto muttered to her as they watched Sasori assemble an impromptu celebration.

Their host motioned for the four other clients and the receptionist to join them. Which they eventually did. The clients put their questionnaires aside. Kabuto appeared with the champagne and a stack of plastic fluted glasses. Sasori popped the cork and began to pour.

"So a lot of your matched couples get engaged?" Naruto asked Sasori.

He lifted a shoulder. "Some."

Ino pressed for more. "I'll bet you keep press releases and such of your success stories."

"Not really." And with that, Sasori stepped away to pour more champagne.

"Okay, what's wrong with this picture?" she heard Naruto whisper. He slipped his arm around her and launched into a mock cuddling session so they could continue their discussion without being overheard.

"The clients," Ino immediately offered. "I was alone in here the day I did my questionnaire. How about you?"

"Me and one very old guy."

Theses people weren't old or even socially desperate-looking. They were young and practically buzzing with energy.

Ino bit off a groan. "They don't appear to be drunk or high so that probably means they read the article in the newspaper."

"Adrenaline junkies," Naruto added.

A moment later, one of the female clients confirmed their suspicion. Ino heard her talking almost breathlessly about the possible link to the sniper. "Isnt it exciting?" She heard the other girl say.

Great. Sickos. Just what they didn't need to blend with the rifle-firing sicko they already had. However, it did gave Ino something else to consider. The shootings had perhaps boosted business. A business that had recently been sagging. Sasori couldn't have been unhappy about that particular side effect, but was he smart enough, calculating enough, to have known it would happen?

Because Ino had her attention on the group, she didn't miss the nudge Kabuto gave his boss. Sasori turned, aiming his gaze in the direction of the reception doorway.

The still waters became a little turbulent.

* * *

Ino followed his narrowed gaze to a tall, attractive redhead. A woman she recognized because she'd studied her file and accompanying photos.

Hisagi Karin.

"I see her," Naruto whispered.

"Just the person we've been looking for."

From the look on Sasori's face, he didn't feel the same. He handed off the champagne bottle to Kabuto, and whispered something terse and then stormed straight for the woman. Fortunately, one of the other clients stopped him, but that diversion wouldn't last long. Ino could tell from the look in Sasori's eyes that one way or another, he intended to het Karin out of here.

"We'll intervene and talk to her," Naruto insisted.

"Something tells me she wont go for the 'let's-be-gal-pals' ploy. You need to put some moves on her before Sasori whisks her away," Ino suggested.

Naruto's eyebrow lifted. "Moves?"

She nodded. "Trust me, you've got some good ones."

Great ones, in fact. The kiss had proven that.

He didn't seem flattered. "I don't guess Karin will consider those moves bottom-feeding gestures since I just announced my engagement to you?"

"Let's hope not. You occupy her, and I'll take care of Sasori. Maybe I can put him in a more talkative mood and learn names of any recently engaged Perfect Match couples."

Naruto caught her arm when she tried to step away.

"Please tell me you're not going to rile him enough so he'll come after you."

Ino tried to look offended. "You think I'd do that?"

"Yeah, I do," he said without hesitation.

If it wouldn't have blown the lovebird façade, she would have scowled at him.

"Are you saying divide and conquer is not a good idea?"

Several muscles stirred in his jaw, a definite sign he agreed with her plan but probably wouldn't approve of her methods.

"You've got ten minutes max," he finally said. "Get everything you can from him. I'll do the same to Karin. Just don't shake things too much, okay?"

This time, it was Ino who stopped.

"I'll say the same to you. Karin's the one with a hostile history, not Sasori."

In fact, this divide and conquer investigative approach suddenly didn't seem like a good idea. Even more, Ino didn't want to explore why it occurred to her that it wasn't good.

Shit.

She was worried about Naruto.

A man who could clearly take care of himself.

"Are you about to quote regulations about approaching a potentially violent suspect without proper back up?" Naruto asked.

"You wish."

He stared at her several long seconds, and cursed.

"It's about that kiss?"

She nodded. "Probably."

But when she repeated that to herself, it didn't seem so much like a probably as a definitely.

Praying she was wrong, Ino turned to head Sasori off at the pass.

* * *

Naruto made it to Karin before Sasori did. Thanks to Ino. She latched on to Sasori and somehow brought him to a stop. Who knows what she was saying to him, but she seemed to have captured his attention.

Karin offered him a tentative smile when Naruto approached her. The smile vanished when she glanced in Ino and Sasori's directions.

"Namikaze Minato." He extended his hand, and she shook it. Not a delicate grip, either. She could probably hold her own in an arm wrestling competition.

"Hisagi Karin." She slid her gaze over him and up. "I haven't seen you here before."

It was almost certainly a lie. She'd been watching the place the night of the icebreaker.

She moved slightly to the side, probably so she could keep her eye on Sasori. He did the same, angling his body so he could watch Ino. Since she was the only platinum blonde in the room, she made a great visual target. The skirt helped, too. She had the best pair of legs in the room.

Maybe the world.

And maybe he was still recovering from the effects of that kiss, because everything about her suddenly seemed damn incredible. Thankfully, she'd probably do something to rile him before the night was over. That would get his mind back to where it belonged.

"So you know everyone here?" Naruto ased Karin. Not exactly chitchat, either. It was an opening to bring the subject around to Sasori, the man who was glancing in her direction as much as she was glancing in his.

"No. Just Kabuto and Sasori."

Naruto skipped right past the Kabuto part and went for the jugular. "Sasori's a friend of yours?"

She gave an unnecessary adjustment to her gold hoop earring. "Something like that."

In other words, 'nothing like that'. She was either Sasori's former, present or even wannabe lover. With the way she kept eyeing Ino, it was highly likely that it wasn't the latter.

Interesting.

"How about you?" she asked. "Are you a new client, or are you with someone?"

"I'm with my fiancée, Ino." He pointed to Ino but made sure he only showed minimal interest in the woman whom he'd supposedly asked to be his wife.

"Old flames reunited thanks to Perfect Match. Things happened pretty fast between us."

And he let Karin fill in the blanks. Maybe she'd think he was having second thoughts. Or maybe she'd just think he was a bottom-feeder. Either way, she didn't seem turned off with the idea of an engaged man chatting her up. But then, maybe she was trying to make Sasori jealous. Or something.

There were a lot of dynamics going on in the room, and not all of them were limited to Sasori and Karin. Some of them were obviously happening between Ino and him.

Since Naruto could feel his self-imposed time limit ticking away, he took a pen from the receptionist's desk and passed it to Karin. He discreetly put out his hand, palm up.

"In case things don't work out with Sasori, or Ino, why don't you give me a number where I can reach you? I'd like to give you a call sometime."

That got Karin's attention. Man, did it. She gave him several more once-overs, not exactly carnal ones, either.

There was some disgust. Some loathing. Even a hot flash of anger in her eyes. That's why it surprised Naruto when she scribbled some numbers on his hand.

That was it. No sultry invitations, no warm goodbyes. No explanations as to why she'd give a man her number when she obviously disliked him.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Sasori." Karin tossed the pen back on the desk and stepped away.

Sasori moved toward the redhead at the same time he left Ino and walked toward her. Sasori said something. Something harsh, judging from the way she reacted. She looked as if the man had slapped her. Then, she angled her eyes in Ino and Naruto's direction. Sasori's gaze followed.

Oh, yeah.

Sasori was definitely suspicious of them, and their latest round of unofficial questioning had probably made it worse.

Karin gave Sasori a not-so-friendly-glower, turned on her heel and headed for the door. Sasori aimed a similar facial expression at them and went in the opposite direction toward his office.

"Should we follow one of them?" Ino asked in a whisper.

"Not with that camera looming over us, We've already peaked their interest too much for one night. Way too much. Did you learn anything new?"

"No. he's not as flirtatious or chatty as Kabuto." Ino glanced around the room. "Speaking of the devil, where is he?"

"He left not long after you started talking to Sasori."

She made a sound to indicate she didn't care for that. Neither did Naruto.

"Maybe we should follow him instead?" she suggested.

"He went in the same direction as Sasori. Besides, we have this." Making sure he was out of the camera angle, Naruto flashed the number that Karin had given him.

She blinked. "You got her number that fast?"

"Maybe. It could be a fake."

"Yeah, right. It's not a fake."

Naruto wasnt sure if he should be complimented by that, but unfortunately it felt like a compliment.

"So what's the deal between Sasori and her?" Ino asked. "Are they involved?"

"That'd be my guess. It's also my guess that one or both isn't too happy about that."

"Sasori, maybe. It might explain why he had the guard here the night of the icebreaker. Maybe he wanted to keep her away from the place."

"It's possible. Sasori certainly wasn't happy to see her. I'll call her tomorrow and see if I can arrange to meet her somewhere."

"With proper back up, correct?" Ino whispered.

Since it didn't sound remotely sarcastic, he stared at her. "Why this sudden fixation with back up?"

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "I don't know. There's this little buzz in the back of my head. It's making me antsy."

"Then obviously it's a good time for us to get out of here. We'll come back tomorrow and invite them to the wedding."

After he called Karin, of course. If he got lucky, that number would be real so he could continue their discussion.

They went out the door. Not alone, either. Two other clients were right behind them, and the woman was still chattering about Perfect Match's possible connection to the sniper. If the sniper had indeed been inside that reception room and heard her, it would have no doubt made him or her nervous.

Or maybe not.

Maybe that's exactly what the nutcase wanted.

Publicity. Recognition. A moment in the spotlight, even if that moment meant people dying.

All four of them headed toward the parking lot. Unlike the night of the mixer, Naruto hadn't managed to get a decent parking spot. They were almost a full block away.

In the dark.

"So did you learn anything new when you talked to Karin?" Ino whispered, presumably so that the couple behind them wouldn't hear.

"Like maybe, how many eyelashes she had? You probably had a chance to count them when she was fluttering them at you."

Naruto geared up to give her a smart-ass comeback, if it not for the glint of movement he saw. The glint he caught out of the corner of his eye.

But it was too late.

The shot rang out before he could get Ino out of the way.


	10. Chapter 10

Because I've been receiving a lot of "death threats" as to why I always keep you guys hanging, I promised myself to update this story as soon as I can. lol

Kidding aside, at first I wasn't so sure if this story would be able to tickle your NaruIno fetish, but judging from your comments and personal messages, I'm deeply touched with your approval of my work.

And now, I present to you, chapter 9. Pls. don't forget to review. I appreciate every assessment you guys leave me.

* * *

Ino felt the searing hot pain slice across her arm.

She ignored it and drew her weapon while she yelled for the couple to get down.

They did, diving for cover behind a parked car. She then latched on to Naruto at the same moment he latched on to her, and they dragged each other to the ground.

It wasn't a second too soon.

Another bullet smashed into the building, into the exact spot where they'd been.

Ino couldn't take the time to berate herself, but she would sure as heck do it later.

She should have paid more attention to that buzz in her head instead of dismissing it. And she darn sure shouldn't have been playing twenty questions with Naruto about his encounter with Karin.

Now that mistake might cost both of them their lives.

She checked the other couple. They were cowering, their hands protectively over their heads.

All in all, it wasn't a bad position.

The car would give them some measure of protection, but it wasn't the same for Naruto and her. For all practical purposes, they were still out in the open.

"Let's move." Naruto ordered.

Ino didn't waste any time. She got to her feet and they scrambled for the narrow alley between the two buildings. He maneuvered them to the far side of an overflowing dumpster, but it wasn't an ideal position either since bullets could go through the metal.

"Uzumaki here," Naruto said into his communicator. "We've got a shooter. Send back up to the outside perimeter of the area and await further orders."

The outside perimeter so that it wouldn't blow their cover. Not that it wouldn't anyway. But Naruto was obviously hoping to salvage this mission and keep them alive.

Ino pulled in a few steadying breaths and glanced down her arm. She saw the gashed fabric and the blood. Nothing serious, she decided, but she angled her body so that Naruto wouldn't notice it. He didn't need that kind of distraction now.

Another shot.

It slammed into the exterior wall and tore off a chunk of brick, sending mortar and dust flying through the air.

Two more shots quickly followed, both of them gashing into the dumpster and the wall just above their heads.

The bullets came close.

Too close. And the thought of them coming any closer set Ino's heart pounding.

She leaned forward slightly, trying to see if she could pinpoint the origin of those bullets so she could get off a shot.

"Don't even think about it!" Naruto snarled.

Ino started to argue, to remind him that she could return fire as well as he could but that probably wasn't a good option anyway.

The gunman clearly had an advantage, and if she moved away from cover to get a better shot, it would also leave her vulnerable. They were already too exposed as it was.

Still, that didn't stop Naruto.

He aimed. And she knew that he was about to do something she'd already dismissed.

But then the shots stopped. And the waiting began.

Ino counted off the seconds, the quiet seconds until she got to sixty. Naruto grabbed her shoulder when she started to move and put her right back against the wall.

"Not yet." He took the end of his communicator and put it against his mouth. "Situation report."

"Additional officers are on the way," the back up officer responded.

Which meant the sniper was getting away.

Again!

Worse, it didn't exclude any of their suspects. Karin, Sasori or Kabuto could have left Perfect Match and sneaked into any of the multistory building across the street.

For that matter, Tomoyama could have done the same thing. He could have been lying in wait for them.

"Pick up Yakushi Kabuto, Dr. Tomoyama, Hiruko Sasori and Hisagi Karin," Naruto demanded into his communicator. "Bring them in! And I want them all interrogated!"

* * *

Ino shut the bathroom door and peeled off her top.

Somehow, she'd managed to keep the streak of blood from Naruto, but if she didn't get rid of the evidence, she wouldn't be able to keep it from him for long.

Thankfully, he'd planted himself in the living room and was still immersed in the necessary calls and reports to the headquarters.

"Fuck," she mumbled looking down at the shallow but angry gash that the sniper's bullet had left on her arm.

The bleeding had already stopped, and it wasn't especially painful – okay, it did hurt – but what hurt even more was the realization that it could have been worse.

Much worse.

The gunman could have killed Naruto, the other couple and her.

It was a miracle that all she had to show for the encounter was a minor two-inch abrasion, and some dried blood.

She stuffed the top in the cabinet beneath the sink and located a first aid kit in the medicine cabinet and got to work cleaning the wound.

When she finished, Ino covered it with a bandage and slipped on a white cotton shirt, the only long-sleeved garment she had in her luggage. She hoped that the quick change in clothes wouldn't make Naruto suspicious.

Or maybe it would.

He was standing right in front of her when she opened the door. He had his hands bracketed on each side of the frame, essentially blocking her path.

"Everything okay?" he asked. But it wasn't a simple question. There were some dangerous undercurrents in it.

"I'm fine."

Those now infamous jaw muscles went to work against each other.

"Take off your shirt, or I'll take it off for you."

Oh.

"Does this mean you want to have sex?" Ino tried.

But it was a lousy try.

Anyone with half a brain would have known it wasn't sex on his mind.

Not with that warlike expression.

He only waited for a second or two before he reached out, and grabbed the sides of her shirt and ripped it open.

A few of the buttons merely gave way and slipped through the buttonholes. Others didn't. they landed with tiny bouncing pings on the title floor.

His gaze raced over her body, and it obviously wasn't her lacy bra or her ample breasts that captured his interest. His attention quickly landed on the bandage.

Ino braced herself for him to rip the shirt right off her. But he didn't. His touch gentled and Naruto eased it off her shoulder to expose her arm.

"It's not bad," she insisted.

He didn't take her word for it. Not surprising since he'd just caught her in a lie.

With that same gentle touch, those same careful movements, he lifted the bandage.

And cursed.

The jaw muscles started again.

"How did you know I was hurt?" Ino asked. Her voice actually cracked.

"There was blood on the sleeve of my jacket. It's not mine. I figured it had to be yours."

She shrugged. "And here I thought I'd contained my bodily fluids."

"This isn't funny!"

Because he looked ready to lose it, she ran her hand down the length of his arm. "It's nothing. I've gotten worse from shaving my legs."

He pressed the bandage back in place, gently, and skimmed his finger across from it. Across the top of her left breast and then to her heart.

"Six inches in this direction, and the bullet wouldn't have grazed you. It would have killed you."

His gaze came to hers.

Unlike his touch, there was still no gentleness in those glacier-blue eyes, but Ino knew without a doubt if gentleness was what she needed, he could have easily provided it.

And he did.

Without moving his hand from her heart, Naruto pulled her to him. Where she felt incredibly safe and warm.

Ino went with it, against her better judgment.

Full-blown sex would have been far less of an intimate risk than this.

Unable to hold back a shudder of breath, she rested her head against his shoulder and took things from him she hadn't known she needed.

They stood there for heaven knows how long. Minutes, maybe. Perhaps longer.

The rhythm of her heart seemed to fall into cadence with the pulse that throbbed in his wrist.

And the world seemed to just melt away.

Until the doorbell rang.

Naruto immediately stepped back, drawing his gun, and their tender moment ended.

"Wait here," he ordered.

"Right, and leave you without backup. Like I'm really going to do that."

Knowing she couldn't do much to fix the shirt, she shucked it off and put on one that Naruto had left in the bedroom. Ino had her weapon drawn before he made it to the door.

"It's your lieutenant, Shikamaru." Naruto let her know.

Great. She didn't expect that as much as she didn't want to face him now.

"Don't say a word about the scratch." She warned him in a whisper.

It could have been better if he sent Chouji to check on them. At least, after asking numerous questions, Chouji would eventually leave them not knowing she had been grazed.

But it was Shikamaru. Which was making this situation even worse.

He was part bloodhound and he could sniff out problems a mile away.

She made sure Naruto's shirt covered the bandage before she joined the two men in the living room.

"I came by to check on you," Shikamaru greeted. He was dressed like a delivery man, but the disguise wasn't limited to just his clothes. He was carrying a white bag. "Your mother sent some ramen."

"Thanks." Ino took the bag, knowing she should dig in right away to prove all was right with the world, but her stomach wasn't quite ready for food. She set it on the table instead.

"You can do your initial report on the computer." Shikamaru instructed. "But I'll need you to do a face-to-face at the headquarters. No way around that. We'll send a cruiser for you tomorrow so it'll look as if you're being brought in for questioning. In fact, we'll bring in all the people who were present tonight."

Shikamaru gave them both a considering glance and sat on the sofa. "Did either of you fire your weapons?"

"No," she quickly volunteered.

Naruto stared at her.

Shikamaru paused, as if waiting to see what had caused that stare.

"Any reason to think that your cover's been compromised?" the black haired lieutenant asked and directed that question to Naruto.

The spiky blonde male leaned against the narrow snack bar that divided the kitchen from the living room. "Hard to tell. Just about everyone at the Perfect Match was talking about the shooting. And that other couple was walking right behind us. Maybe the sniper just wanted to make his or her presence known."

Shikamaru didn't say anything for several seconds.

"Well, we're rounding up Kabuto and hopefully Karin for an interrogation, so maybe we'll know something soon. Karin checked herself into a residential mental health clinic about an hour ago. Lots of freedom for her to go from one place to another, but it doesn't give us a lot of access to her unless she's willing to grant us that access. Oh and we learned that Kabuto owns several hunting rifles so I went ahead and requested a search warrant."

"Good," Naruto said.

Ino muttered an agreement as well, even though Kabuto probably wasn't stupid enough to leave murder weapons lying around for the cops to find. Still, it'd prevent him from getting a good night's sleep – which would apparently be her fate as well. Naruto probably wouldn't drop that _'six inches over and you could have been killed'_ discussion.

"You intend to continue with the present mission plan?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

Naruto stared at the platinum blonde again. Ino stared back and tried to put words in his mouth. Or rather the word. And that word is **YES**.

He didn't say yes.

But then he didn't say no, either.

"I'll have to get back to you on that," Naruto told the lieutenant.

Shikamaru nodded. Made a sound of contemplation. Then looked at Naruto. "Would you mind if I spoke to Ino in private?"

Another glare from Naruto aimed in her direction, but this one had a _'tell him the truth'_ warning in it.

It was a warning she'd definitely ignore. Naruto would thank her for it later, after they collared the sniper.

Shikamaru motioned for her to sit down the moment Naruto left the room.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked.

She didn't sit though, but put on her best _`I'm a femme fatale'_ look. "Why would you think anything's wrong?"

Shikamaru's eyebrow lifted.

So much for the _'femme fatale'_ routine. That eyebrow was a very effective BS monitor.

Still, it didn't stop her from going on the offensive.

"What? Being shot at isn't a reason enough to make me cranky?!"

His eyebrow stayed up. "Why are you wearing Sergeant Uzumaki's shirt?" he pointed out.

"Oh that." Not that she'd thought for a minute that Shikamaru would miss something like that. However, since he'd broached the subject, Ino went with it. It might get him off the undercover assignment.

"Am I not allowed to have a lover?" she retorted.

"You are, if you don't sleep with your boss." he shot back at her.

"My _temporary _boss," Ino corrected.

Shikamaru shook his head. Nothing overt. Just a simple gesture.

"You know something I don't? Uzumaki Naruto's a sergeant in Homicide. You're a detective in the same department."

"For now, yes. But I figure he'll get promoted and then he'll be asked to be moved." If not then it might come down to her asking for a transfer, a though that had her feeling a little nauseous.

She'd worked hard to get into her position, damn hard, and she wouldn't just give that up. Well, unless there was no other way. Then she'd consider it.

Heaven help her.

"And I haven't actually slept with him," she said more to herself than to the man in front of her. "I've just been flirting with the idea. _Lightly_ flirting with it. And even if something happened between us, it's not against the regs per se. it's just frowned upon because, well, morale problems." She added an indignant huff. "Is this why you came over? To grill me about my love life?"

He caught her wrist and sat her on the coffee table in front of him. "Quit being so defensive. I came to see if you're all right."

Ino leaned closer into his personal space. "I. Am."

"Yes. I can see that."

She didn't want to know if he was being sarcastic, mainly because she was certain he was. After all, his eyebrow was still cocked and locked.

"I also wanted to talk to you about Sergeant Uzumaki and this mission." He calmly went on.

Since she was already on the defensive, she just stayed there.

"Oh no. Don't even think about it." Ino held her thumb and index finger to indicate a miniscule space. "We're this close to getting the sniper, Shika."

"I don't doubt it." And there wasn't anything defensive-sounding about that. He eased down her hand. "Sergeant Uzumaki and you make a good team."

That improved her posture. But she wouldn't let a compliment, if that's indeed what it was, blindside her. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you each have talents that balance the other's." he leaned back against the sofa and tucked his hands behind his head. "For Uzumaki, following the procedure is the right thing to do. So that practically ensures a successful mission. You, on the other hand, think outside the box, and that gives you the edge when you're in an evade and escape mode."

"Thanks. I think." Suspicious, she squinted one eye. "Is this some kind of law enforcement version of a hunters versus gatherers theory?"

He smiled. "Well, sort of." His mouth quivered as if he might smile, but then he lowered his hands and continued. "Uzumaki's never missed a shot during fire arms qualification."

Another posture improving remark. "Never?" she could not believe what she heard.

"Never." He repeated.

"Sheez." She let that sink in. "Even Robocop misses every now and then."

"He's also never blown a case. He's batting a thousand in that department."

She frowned, realizing all the blindsiding was probably heading somewhere after all. "And your point would be?"

"No point. You're smart, and that means you know if it comes to a tight situation, then Uzumaki can handle it. No matter how good of a shot you are – and you're good – then he's better."

"And he'll be even better if I'm backing him up." She promptly added.

"Absolutely." He stood. And hugged her. "Be careful okay? I don't want Asuma to haunt me in my dreams if something bad happens to you."

Ino nodded, and even though she wasn't pleased with the mini-lecture, she hugged her best friend and brother back.

She locked the door after she let him out.

"One down, one to go." She grumbled. She'd probably convinced Shikamaru to keep this case alive, but now she had to do the same with Naruto.

"Want some ramen?" she called out.

She took two cups of steamy ramen noodles from the bag. They were still warm so she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and prepared herself for a feast.

Naruto came out from the bedroom and started that staring game again, so Ino shoved him his cup of ramen and a chopstick into his hands. "Eat," she ordered.

He did. And Ino sat back on the coffee table and dug in. "Practically orgasmic huh?" she asked after he'd had his first taste. "It's my mom's recipe."

"Close." Naruto sampled another mouthful. "Speaking of orgasmic, you'd rather let Shikamaru think you have the hots for me than just tell him you're hurt?"

It was a good thing she'd just swallowed that mouthful of ramen, or she might have choked on it.

"You eavesdropped?"

"Thin walls," he countered. "Hard not to eavesdrop."

True. But that didn't let him off the hook completely. "I didn't want him to take me off the case, all right? Sometimes, he can be too protective. Even more protective than my father," she told him.

"If he'd known you were wounded in the line of duty, he would have pulled you off the case. It's not protective instincts. It's procedure." He countered.

She pointed her chopsticks on his direction. "I was scratched in the line of duty. Big difference."

"Why do you feel the rules don't apply to you? And before you start defending yourself, just hear me out. Officers who are wounded, even though it's only a scratch, take time to recoup." He lectured her.

"I don't have time to recoup."

He smacked his ramen cup onto the snack bar and stared at her. "Am I supposed to understand that?!"

No. and no explanation would probably help, either. Still, that didn't stop her.

"I want to be promoted to sergeant, okay? And I wish there were a stronger word than _want_, because it'd definitely apply here. In six months, I'd be too old for that promotion."

"Too old?" he repeated. "You'll be what – the ripe old age of twenty five?"

"Shikamaru was promoted to lieutenant at the age of twenty five, and Chouji's on his way to that too."

He looked at her as if she'd just sprouted wings. "It is about competing with your best friends?"

She was right, he didn't get it. He couldn't.

"It'd be simple if it were a competition," she muttered, frustrated. "But it's more than that. If I come up short, then I'm not the person I thought I was, and I don't think I can handle that."

Ino glanced at him, sorry that she'd just blurted out what was probably the only deep dark secret she had. She hated it when she was left by her best friends when it comes to personal advancements.

"And no, I don't really expect you to understand," she added. She poked at the ramen again, glad that she had something to prod. Maybe the fake violence would rid her of the alley cat war going on inside her.

He dragged a chair closer and sat down right in front of her so they were eye-to-eye. And only inches apart.

"I understand." He muttered.

Of all the things that Ino thought he might say, that wasn't one of them. "Which part?" she asked, surprised.

"All of it."

She hadn't expected that, either. The skeptical look she gave him no doubt prompted him to continue.

"You see, my dad's a retired three star general, and he never forgave me for breaking ranks to become a police officer. As much as he was sure I'd fail, that's how determined I was to succeed. Every promotion, every citation, every award is to prove to him – and me – that I made the right decision."

"Wow." That's all she could manage to say for a couple of seconds. Talk about revealing deep, dark secrets.

Somehow, this conversation had taken a very unsettling turn.

And more.

He was so close that she took in his scent – and that mixed with the understanding look on his face was a dangerous combination.

"Okay, so maybe you do get it," she managed to say. And there was way too much breath in her voice.

"Yeah. But that doesn't mean I think it's a good idea to toss out regs and procedures. Sometimes you just have to step back and look at the bigger picture. Like this…" he reached for her bandaged arm.

Ino snagged his wrist, a variation of cutting him off at the pass. Or something like it.

All she knew was it couldn't be a good time for him to touch her.

"Put your hands in my shirt again, and I'll take you where you sit."

She waited for him to laugh or give her a wiseguy comeback for using his words against him.

He didn't do either.

Naruto sat their staring at her. Just staring. With those intense cerulean orbs that seemed to make her melt.

Holy shit.

Where did the air suddenly go?

But it was too late for her to care about such things as air, or breathing. Ino let go of his wrist so she could reach for him.

Naruto beat her to it.

* * *

There…

That must have been the longest chapter I've wrote so far. I'm sorry for doing this guys as much as i hate to do it, i have to. You must understand that it would not be worthy if I make this chapter longer than it actually is. Besides, i need some sleep. lol

So... please don't burn me.

I promise i'll make it up to you on the next chapter.

Until then! Hope you'll look forward to it.

Xoxo,

Ino Ishii


	11. Chapter 11

Tadaa! I'm back! And here's the update for Wedding Sniper. But before I give you that, let me clear up some things for you guys,

I, Inori Ishii, am a girl, a straight girl. With an obsession to NaruIno pairing. Not a dude. Okay?haha

I'm not offended anyway.^_^

Also, I looooooooove Minato as much as I loooooooooove Naruto. And he is truly the best ninja of the series, but I strongly believe that if I made him a 5-star general, it would be impossible for my character of Naruto, here in this story, to surpass him. Because in here, Naruto needed to prove his father that he will become better than him. So there, I hope I made myself clear.^_^

I'll no longer prolong your agony…I present to you, Wedding Sniper Chapter 11!

* * *

The timing sucked.

Naruto forced himself to remember that.

Ino was injured and coming down from a terrifying ordeal.

However, the reminder lasted for only couple of seconds, for just a short period of time that it took him to haul her off that coffee table and onto his lap.

Her mouth came to his. Man, did it. Her moist, sweet, hot mouth.

The kiss was hard and hungry, and in that moment, Naruto knew he was sunk. There wasn't enough willpower in the universe to make him back away from her.

He slid an arm around her waist, another around the back of her neck and pulled her against him until they were pressed to each other.

But she wasn't such a passive participant. Not that Naruto ever thought she would be.

It was a battle. Her kiss, an assault. A sweet one, but still an assault.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, fighting to bring him even closer – not really possible since he'd have to be inside her to achieve that. But the way things were going though, that just might happen.

Soon.

He decided not to think about why that wouldn't be a good idea.

Naruto reached for her shirt, or rather _his_ shirt that she was wearing, and would have ripped it off her if he hadn't tried to be considerate of her injury.

Ino gave it no such consideration though. She stripped it off and sent it flying across the room. Naruto went for her bra instead but changed his mind when she shifted her legs to straddle him.

Oh, man.

There was no chance he'd talk his body or hers into slowing down so they wouldn't kill each other. So without breaking their kiss, he went with it, embracing that dangerous energy that was already on the verge of erupting.

He gripped her thigh and just kept going. Up. Not slowly, either. And not gently.

There was a lot of bare skin thanks to her short skirt. The only thing he encountered along the way was the woman going after his zipper – something he preferred not to have happen anytime soon.

She'd have managed it, too, if Naruto hadn't maneuvered his own seeking hand around hers.

Since there wasn't time for finesse, he went for impact instead.

He succeeded.

Naruto shoved his hand into her panties. Into the fragile swatch of lace and silk.

His fingers found her wet and hot core. And then he made his way through the slick moisture.

One touch, and he heard her breath shudder.

She stopped her quest for his zipper and instead anchored her hands, one on his stomach, the other slipped into her own hair.

Meeting his gaze head-on, she rocked shamelessly against his hand.

One stroke. Two. Three. A long lingering caress that brought on another shudder, another erotic hitch of her breath. And he was sure he had her close to release.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Ino located his mouth again, kissing him as if she'd escalated the war. And maybe she had.

She skipped the zipper part she'd started earlier and moved her hand from his stomach, down.

Inside his pants.

No fumbling. She got it right the first time. those agile fingers bypassed and slid right over his erection. One stroke. Two. A rather skillful swipe of her thumb, and she had him close begging for mercy. Or close begging for something else.

Naruto gritted his teeth and launched them forward. Her back landed on the coffee table, and he landed on her. Between her legs.

All in all, it wasn't a bad place to be. For a moment, anyway. And then there was another round of jockeying for position.

She rolled. Until his back landed on the table.

Ino went after his shirt, he went after her skirt. It was an out and out warfare, and for some reason speed counted.

They battled the clothes and won. She even got her way with his zipper and managed to shove it down.

"Now." She demanded, already aligning the parts of them that would have made _now_ happen once he rid them of their underwear.

Maybe it was the sound of her voice, or maybe there was a thread of common sense that hadn't been smothered all in that fire, Naruto remembered something he almost wished he hadn't remembered.

"I don't have a condom," he let her know.

Ino stopped instantly and stared at him. "Neither do I."

Her eyes were wild, unfocused and her breaths came out in short, hot spurts. She looked on the verge of cursing, but since she didn't, Naruto cursed for both of them.

What he didn't do was move away from her. It would take more than a lack of condom for that to happen.

In one swipe of his forearm, he cleared the coffee table.

Ramen, magazines and papers went in every direction. He didn't stop there. Because she'd already started reaching for him, specifically for his erection, Naruto latched on to her panties and pulled them off her.

They tore. And neither he nor Ino obviously cared.

It had to be now.

With the blood raging, and his heartbeat hammering, he went straight for that hot, sweet part of her, that he's already touched.

Only this time, he used his mouth and tongue instead of his fingers.

The taste of her went straight through him like a double shot of whiskey.

It was a taste he wouldn't forget, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he'd never be with another woman without thinking of this.

Of her.

She mumbled something and sounded as if she were on the verge of protesting, but a well-placed stroke of his tongue stopped her.

"Okay," was all she said.

She arched her back, moaned and began to move to the rhythm of his mouth.

It didn't seem possible, but he'd actually found a way to get Yamanaka Ino to cooperate. And he pleasured them both in the process.

For a couple more seconds, anyway.

"Maybe there's a condom in the bathroom," she decided, her tone more desperate than hopeful.

Her hands were suddenly everywhere. Touching as much of him as she could possibly touch. She slid lower and caught on to his lips, dragging him to the bathroom with her.

Still, the war didn't stop.

She did though.

But only so she could take her mouth to his bare stomach.

No simple kiss. No, not her. She had him seeing double when she circled his navel with her tongue and sucked not-so-tenderly.

Before he could muster enough strength to stop her, she kissed his erection as intimately as he'd kissed her.

She licked his length, from base to tip before sucking softly on the precum that accumulated on Naruto's hardened member.

She pleasured him, and from the way she moved against him, she pleasure d herself as well.

Somehow, he stood upright so he could maneuver her and hopefully reciprocate.

She caught on to his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. Normally, that wouldn't have been an enjoyable experience, but he was in the zone where anything she did would have been enjoyable in this erotic battle they were waging on each other.

Naruto dragged her up with him, and turned so she was the one against the wall.

He was careful not to hurt her arm, but he wasn't so gentle with the rest of her.

And then, he kissed her. Hard.

She tasted of him. Smelled of him.

Yet, somehow her own unique scent and taste were there, as well. Lingering around him and making him crazy.

Turning as if in some bizarre dance, they made it into the bathroom. He couldn't have told anyone how, but it qualified as a miracle.

His shoulder slammed against the jamb when she looped her arms behind his neck and leaped up to wrap her legs around his waist.

With one hand, he fumbles through the medicine cabinet while he used his other hand to keep her fingers out of his boxers.

She searched for condom as well, tossing things from the glass shelves. Throughout her quest, she kept up with the kisses and touches. Until Naruto was absolutely sure he couldn't take it any more.

But somehow he took more. She made him take more.

"Truce," Ino mumbled. With her breath thin, her voice had hardly any sound. "There's not a condom in here."

Fighting his own breath, he nodded. "It was a long shot anyway."

And it no longer mattered.

He'd already prepared himself for the final battle, and he didn't need a condom for what he had in mind.

Naruto turned and pinned her against the sink. Without her panties in the way, he wedged his knee between her legs, and eased his fingers inside her.

A long, deliberate sigh left her mouth. A moan. And a gasp of pleasure.

Once again she moved into the strokes. And she moved against him. Deeper this time, though.

Against his fingers, and against his body. A slow, sensual slide that brought out every basic, every carnal instinct inside him.

"Not without you," she insisted.

"Yes, without me."

But he might as well have been talking to the air because she clamped her leg along the outside of his, holding him in place. And she got her way by sliding her hand back into his boxers.

Since it was obvious she wouldn't give up, Naruto just gave in.

"Move with me, Ino. Move with me."

And she did.

She moved with him as if her very life depended on it. And with their blood raging, that wasn't too far from the truth.

Face-to-face. Body-to-body. Wet skin whispering to wet skin. His fingers, in her. Moving. Hers, on him. Clutching, gripping and sliding to a frantic feverish pace.

"Take me where I stand," she offered.

And he accepted that offer.

He snagged her gaze, because he wanted to watch her go over. Naruto fought through the clawing primal need to claim and possess so he could see exactly what this did to her. It didn't matter that he felt his body going over, as well.

Nothing mattered.

Except this. Except her.

They took that last climb together with strokes, touches, caresses. And they were right there to catch each other when the fire tore free and released them both.

* * *

Ino so hoped that the ringing in her ears was a post-orgasmic response.

No such luck.

When she heard Naruto curse, she realized it was the phone. A phone she could probably answer since this was supposedly her apartment.

Somehow, Naruto got their bodies untangled so she could make it to the bedroom.

To prevent herself form having to stand around naked, she grabbed a towel and her pajama top along the way.

Naked was great during the throes of passion, but now that the passion had been sated, she was already starting to feel as if she'd done the ultimate no-no.

Which in a way, she had.

She'd just had sex with her boss.

And even though, it wasn't a full-blown sex, it qualified in every possible way that counted.

Ino pushed that disturbing thought aside and grabbed the phone.

After a couple of tries, she even managed to say a meager hello.

"We have a problem," Shiakamaru immediately informed her.

Okay. So that rid her of any lust-induced cobwebs.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

She tried to brace herself, but the bracing failed when she heard her friend's response.

"The sniper struck again. There's been another shooting."

* * *

And that people was my Valentine's Day gift for all of you.^_^

Happy Heart's Day! Hope you all would have a blast!^_^ Dont forget to leave me reviews. Many thanks!

~Ino Ishii


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry, this chap took so long.

Nevertheless, R and R! Enjoy!!

~Ino Ishii

* * *

"It takes thirteen averaged-size steps to go from one side to the other," Chouji commented from the doorway of the headquarters' conference room. "But then you probably already figured that out since all you've done is pace for the past fifteen minutes." He continued.

Ino heaved out a sigh and dropped down into one of the burgundy leather chairs that encircled a massive oval table.

She and Chouji glanced at Naruto, who was in the adjoining room. He'd kept the door open, and the glass panel allowed them both to see that Naruto was still talking on the phone.

Too bad she couldn't hear what he was saying.

"You have an update on the wounded couple yet?" Chouji asked her.

"Their names are Mikoto Mari and Sawada Youichi. They're alive," she gulped before she continued. "At least they were when they arrived at the hospital a couple of hours ago, but they're both in surgery."

"I heard that the shooting happened not to far from the Municipal Auditorium?" Chouji asked.

Ino nodded. "They were getting married in a late night ceremony on one of those tour boats. Just the couple, a minister, and two others who were witnessing the wedding."

That in itself posed some serious questions as to how the sniper had learned about the ceremony. It wasn't exactly a well-publicized event.

If she could somehow pick up the information trail, it might lead her to the person responsible. And in this case, the person responsible had shot the bride and groom within seconds after they said "I do."

Just the thought of that made her stomach churn.

What was supposed to be the happiest night of their life turned into a nightmare.

Ino shook her head, and her fingers curled into a fist.

"I should have stopped the sniper, Chouji. This shouldn't have happened."

"You know, in some cultures that remark would be considered heresy. You're not a god. Heck you're not even in the angel category!"

And though it sounds sarcastic, the platinum blonde knew very well that Chouji's just trying to cheer her up.

"Are you close to collaring this shooter?" he asked.

"He struck twice in the same night so at least we know we're pushing the right buttons." She glanced in Naruto's direction, but he was still on the phone.

"Or in the light of the wounded couple, maybe it was the wrong buttons." She continued.

"It's not wrong. I know you'll get him for sure," Chouji unwrapped two mints that he took from his pocket mouth and uncurled her fist so he could put the other one in hers.

"I heard the owner of the Perfect Match might be closing down the place for a couple of days, will that affect your follow-up plans?" he asked Ino as she gazed at the mint in her hand, thinking whether or not she would eat it or let it melt in her hand.

"I don't know yet. Naruto just got the news before the hospital called."

But it would definitely have an effect.

After all, they were supposed to go to Perfect Match that very afternoon and invite Sasori to the wedding.

Since that was a critical step in the plan, it meant they'd have to make other arrangements to see him.

Not an ideal contingency.

If they met Sasori elsewhere, it only increased problems for securing another location. But then, calling the coffee-brown eyed man and asking him to meet them at Perfect Match might make him even more suspicious than he already was.

Chouji took a chair, turned it backward and sat across from her so they were face-to-face. When she didn't make eye contact with him, he put his finger beneath her chin, lifted and forced they eye contact. He tipped his head toward Naruto.

"So how hard are you falling for that jerk?"

Ino frowned and tossed the mint into her mouth. She cracked it with her teeth. "He's not a jerk."

"Then, how hard are you falling for him?" Chouji flatly repeated.

The mint crunching didn't last nearly as long as Chouji's inquisitive, in-her-face expression.

"As hard as a massive crate of concrete," she admitted.

Chouji made a sound of disappointment, lifted her hand and studied the ring for her fake engagement to Naruto. "I thought you were better than that. The badge first. Family second. Lust and laundry, last."

"I'm scared it's more than just lust," Ino whispered.

"Hell."

"Yes." She considered some profanity of her own.

"What about all the other stuff going on?" Chouji asked. "You just plan to forget that Uzumaki's investigation could ultimately hurt Shika?"

"Don't give me that." Ino managed to keep her voice at a whisper. An angry whisper. But it was still hopefully low enough that Naruto wouldn't hear her.

"The chief ordered that investigation, not Naruto. And it could only ultimately hurt Shika if there were some truth to it. There isn't."

"You think he knows that?" Chouji asked as he tipped his head towards Naruto's direction once again.

"I think I'll trust him to figure it out. What the fuck, Chouji, he's not the bad guy in all of this. Heck, maybe the chief isn't, either. Maybe, he just wants to make sure he doesn't have a potential problem in the department that could affect morale."

But Ino groaned when she heard herself. "Good grief, I sound like Shika. And Naruto."

"Scary huh?" Chouji took her empty coffee cup, crushed it and launched it into the trash can. "Wanna know what else sounds scary? According to the rumor mill, Uzumaki will probably be promoted to lieutenant. If that happens, he'll most certainly be put in charge of Special Investigations, which means he'll be my boss."

Ino gave him a weary smile. "You've got nothing to worry about. Naruto's a good boss."

"Yeah, but there's no lust factor in this for me, just the concern that I might beat him to a pulp if he doesn't do right by Shikamaru."

"He'll do right by Shika." And Ino was surprised to realize that she believed that with all her heart.

She was soooo in trouble.

One fantastic orgasm, and she was falling head over heels for a man she certainly shouldn't be falling for.

Because she couldn't sit still and because she noted a renewed concern on the spiky-blonde's face, she got up and continued her pacing.

For crying out loud, how long will it take to get a status report on the patients?

"So the rumor mill is saying he'll be promoted?" Ino asked just to get her mind off that phone call.

"Apparently," Chouji replied.

"And what about my promotion?" came the platinum blonde's inquiry.

It was a gutsy question because she knew Chouji wouldn't lie to her. But there was a good chance he might try to sugarcoat it.

He lifted a shoulder. "It's just a rumor mill. What the heck does it matter?"

She groaned. Definitely sugarcoating.

In other words, the odds were against her.

However, it seemed a trivial worry with people's lives in limbo. Later when this was over, she'd spend some time worrying about that particular aspect of her life.

Naruto finally put down the phone and came out into the conference room. He nodded a greeting at Chouji before meeting the platinum blonde's gaze.

"They are out of the woods." He let her know. "Both required surgery though, but they're stable, so there's nothing to worry about. The doctors are hopeful they'll make a full recovery. Not only that, we should be able to get an officer in there by evening to ask them some questions."

Ino took a deep breath and said a prayer of thanks. Now if they'd just get one with stopping before he could do any more damage.

"That's my cue to get out of here." Chouji finally said. "Remember what I told you, Ino."

"No thanks," she fired back.

"A problem?" Naruto asked as he watched Chouji leave.

"No." She glared at Chouji until he was out of sight and then turned back to Naruto. "Is this one connected to Perfect Match?"

"Afraid so. According to the minister, the couple met there at an icebreaker about three months ago."

Ino had known he would say that. The sniper was back to the pattern. "Did anyone else see the shooter?"

Naruto shook his head. "No one's come forward, but it's still early so don't worry. We have an evidence response team checking the scene now. Lieutenant Nara is still rounding up Kabuto and Karin. We might have answers soon."

"What about Tomoyama and Sasori?" she asked.

"Supposedly they were at their residences, asleep. But three of the four suspects live alone so any of them could have sneaked out to commit the crime. Karin could have left the mental health facility, as well."

"Wait a minute – they weren't being watched?"

"They were, but it would have been easy enough to get out without being seen."

True. So no breaks in that particular area. "So, are the shots fairly accurate this time?" asked Ino who was quite nervous about the fact that the sniper's skills were being honed with every crime.

"Accurate enough to wound two people, but there were strays. At least a bit dozen. And the minister's leg was grazed with a bullet." Naruto scrubbed his fingers over his chin. "You're thinking about Kabuto and those two rifles he owns?"

"Yes. Maybe he's a lousy shot despite being a gun owner. Or maybe he just wants to make people believe the sniper has a bad aim so it'll take suspicion off him."

"Or maybe he's not the sniper." Naruto stopped, apparently gave that some thought, and then looked at her. "What's going on in your head?"

"I was just thinking about how the sniper broke his own rules when he fired shots at us 'cause we weren't a newlywed couple. And with this latest shooting, maybe he, or she, wants to remind everyone that he or she is really only after brides and grooms who meet at the agency. And if so, then it's obviously an important message to get across."

"That brings us back to motive." He flexed his eyebrows. "All four of our suspects have that in spades."

Ino might have dwelled on that a little longer if she hadn't noticed the paper in Naruto's hand.

"It's the details for tomorrow," he said, obviously aware of what had caught her attention.

With everything else going on, she hadn't even thought that far in advance. But, she did now.

A wedding.

A fake one.

With Uzumaki Naruto.

Tomorrow.

Maybe what'd happened in the bathroom was coloring her opinion but that suddenly sounded as nerve-wracking as facing a gunman.

"The ceremony's scheduled for noon." Naruto explained, handing her the paper. "The plan is for us to have officers and specialists stake out every building around the church. we're hoping to catch the sniper before either of us get near anything resembling an aisle."

"That's something worth hoping for," she mumbled, going over the mission summary.

"Of course, we'll be armed and wearing bulletproof vests just in case he manages to get through."

Of course. "Sounds like you've covered the primary bases. Well, except for maybe clothes. Do we need anything special to wear?" Ino asked. _"A wedding dress, perhaps?"_ She thought.

"Shikamaru's taking care of that. He knew your size," Naruto clarified when she stared at him. The platinum blonde was quite surprised as to how quick the spiky-blonde male was when it comes to mind-reading.

"Better him than Chouji, I guess. I'd end up wearing pajamas to the church if you put him in charge of wardrobe."

He reached out and touched her cheek. A quick, nonsexual tap. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," she rubbed her arm in a 'see?' gesture. "It really is just a scratch.

"I wasn't talking about your arm." The spiky-blonde male replied as he gazed intently into her aqua-colored orbs.

"Oh that." It seemed a good time to stare at the floor. The ceiling. Or anything other than the man opposite her. "You know, that's the problem with the morning after. Things seem, well, awkward."

"Which is why I should have backed away." Came the response of the man in front of her.

Fuck. She hadn't meant to put this all on his shoulders.

"I heard recently that in some cultures a comment like that could be considered heresy. You're not a supreme being, Naruto, and don't worry – what happened between us wont affect the job." Ino told him as she secretly hoped it was true but she kept that inkling of doubt to herself.

"We're both consenting adults," she continued. "Besides, we didn't even fully sleep together. It was just…lust." There. That was the word she was looking for. "And now that we've taken the edge off, so to speak, everything should be fine."

Goodness. She was babbling.

And lying.

Really lying.

That episode hadn't taken the edge off anything. It'd just made her aware of how hot Naruto could get her and how masterfully he could satisfy that heat – all without fully having sex with her.

"Are you finished?" he asked her.

She nodded.

And Naruto stole her breath by leaning forward and kissing her.

It was nothing like the frenzied lip lock at the apartment. It was gentle. Comforting. Easy.

So easy.

It seemed as if her bones turned to liquid. But that only made it more memorable.

"Sergeant Uzumaki?" she heard someone say. "Sorry to interrupt."

Ino glanced at the door, fearing who might be there. Lucky for her, it was no other than a messenger from the department. Thankfully, the man looked away while Ino broke the kiss.

Well, not that it would diffuse much of anything. By afternoon, the rumor mill would have something savory to nibble on.

"Here's the information you requested." The messenger handed Naruto the folder and quickly excused himself.

The chief's request would have been alarming enough news without the "right away" part. It was probably about the investigation into the favoritism allegations.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Despite the command from the highest ranking official in the building, Naruto didn't leave. He did, however, let her fully slip out of his embrace so he could open the folder.

"I asked the techs to tap into Perfect Match's files and give me the list of all of Karin's dream matches, plus the matches of the murdered couple." He handed her half the pages as he gestured her to look through the files.

"It was a good task to eliminate any residual effects of that kiss, and the events of the night before. They were Karin's files, and they were sizeable. Twelve of twenty-three pages. Of course, she was a frequent customer so the high volume wasn't that surprising.

Ino skimmed through the names to see if anything popped out at her. One did. Uchicha Sasuke. And he was very much dead.

"Wakaba Takeshi," Naruto announced. "The second groom. Karin's high on his list. Third, in fact."

Pleased that the pieces might be falling into place, Ino turned another page, and her attention immediately landed on a name near the middle.

"Bingo. She was a match for Sawada Youichi, our latest victim."

Finally!

But her 'finally' wasn't much of a celebration.

Naruto glanced at his watch.

"There was no answer when I called that number Karin gave me so I passed it on to the tech guys so they could check it out. If it holds, I'll try to set up a meeting with her this afternoon. Maybe we can finish this today so we wont even need the ceremony." He told her.

"Yes, maybe." And then she remembered Naruto's other appointment. "After your meeting with the chief, of course."

"Of course." He simply said.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and walked out leaving her with a thousand questions and not so many answers.

Too bad a lot of those questions centered around Naruto and the fact that he was setting a scenario to put himself in danger.

Which was his job, she reminded herself.

And hers.

A job she needed to focus on if she wanted them both to walk away from this alive. Suddenly, that focus seemed a lot more critical than it ever had.

Ino sat down, cleared her mind and began to study Karin's file. Maybe somewhere in all those names and information, there would be clues to bring down a killer.


	13. Chapter 13

Apparently, right away meant something different to the chief than it did to Naruto.

He checked his watch – he'd been waiting in the hallway for the chief for nearly half an hour. Either something unexpected had come up or else this was some sort of power tripping to remind the spiky-blonde male who was in charge.

As if he could forget that.

He owed a lot to Chief Nawaki Jiraiya. After all, the man had made Naruto's transfer to Homicide possible. Jiraiya had also put tremendous trust in him by asking him to look into allegations regarding a fellow officer.

Well, maybe it was trust.

And maybe it was just something as simple as Jiraiya not wanting to make the investigation official unless he knew for certain there were improprieties. Or maybe he thought Naruto would be relentless in getting to the truth.

In doing so, however, Jiraiya had pitted him against not just Shikamaru but to his entire department – including Ino.

Yet, it hadn't kept them apart.

Of course, probably nothing short of critical injury or death could have done that. There were times, like now, when Naruto felt as if he were in the path of a speeding train, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Nothing he _wanted_ to do to stop it.

Talk about confusing. They had a killer to catch, and his every other thought was of the platinum blonde he'd left in the conference room. She deserved better than that and so did the victims.

"Bad morning?" he heard someone ask.

Not the chief.

It was Nara Shikamaru.

He was coming down the hall directly towards Naruto. And he wasn't alone. He had a big white box in one arm and a little blonde girl, who looked to be two or three, squirming on the other.

"I've had easier," Naruto answered. Something told him this one wasn't going to get much better. "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes. My mother came by to drop off something for Ino so she brought her along. Kumiko, this is Sergeant Uzumaki Naruto."

The child shyly smiled at the man in front of her and partly hid under her father's arm. Despite of that, she was obviously interested in the fake police badge she was playing with than meeting the spiky-blonde male.

"I just heard the latest victims pulled through," Shikamaru commented, putting the girl down. Kumiko didn't waste any time exploring the fake moss in an equally fake plant display on the hallway. "Good news, isn't it?"

"Definitely. Maybe we'll be able to get something from them when they're out of recovery." Said Naruto as his gaze followed the young girl.

"Too bad though we haven't been able to locate Karin. She hasn't returned to her apartment or the mental health facility, and that number she gave me was a fake. It's for some shop down on Hanagi lane."

Well, so much for the woman hitting on him. Ino had been wrong about that. Karin had probably been trying to make Sasori jealous. Or else maybe she was suspicious and had just wanted to get Naruto off 'her back.

"We'll keep looking for her," Shikamaru continued. "But if you're still able to meet with Sasori this afternoon, maybe you can talk him into giving you info on where to contact her."

Naruto nodded, not really hopeful about that.

"We're definitely meeting with Sasori. In fact, we'll leave just as soon as I'm done here," said Naruto. Sasori wouldn't give up the information voluntarily, but maybe they could get it some other way. His mind kept going back to Sasori's office, if Sasori and Karin had had an affair, for sure her contact number's probably there, somewhere in his office.

It seemed more than a little awkward standing outside the chief's office and having such a civil conversation with the man he was supposed to be investigating.

Shikamaru had to know why Naruto was waiting to see Jiraiya, but he didn't show it. No dark emotion simmering just below the surface. No pondering look. Just shop talk and an occasional fatherly glance in his daughter's direction.

"How badly was Ino hurt in the shooting?" Shikamaru suddenly asked the platinum blonde male.

Okay, so maybe not totally shop talk.

That question threw Naruto off balance. "Hardly more than a scratch on her arm. She's fine. How'd you know?"

The corner of his mouth lifted. "Lucky guess."

Right. The man had probably never relied on luck or guesses in his entire life.

Shikamaru did a no-no motion with his index finger when his daughter started to remove a flier from the bulletin board. The child promptly obeyed and moved on to a hands-on examination of the carpet.

"If you're waiting for my permission to discipline my friend and subordinate Ino for not following procedure about an injury, then that would be unnecessary. You're in charge with this mission; therefore, you're her boss. " Shikamaru told him.

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten that," Naruto replied.

Well, maybe he had, while they were in that bathroom.

Naruto shook his head. "No disciplinary action will be required. Not unless you want to aim it at me. I didn't report her injury even after she…informed me of it."

"Then you must have believed that it wouldn't have any impact on this assignment."

"She convinced me that it wouldnt," Naruto said rather than lie to the man.

Shikamaru grunted. Not an ordinary grunt. But one to indicate he was deep in thought about something.

"That day in my office, you said something about Ino coloring outside the lines,"

Naruto winced, recalling the words in perfect detail. "Um…I meant – "

"She does. And so does Chouji. It drives me nuts, but I swear they can sort through things that look like a junk pile to me. Like zooming in on Perfect Match after only one shooting. You managed to do that, too, but you used department resources. Ino didn't, because she worked on it while off-duty. Added to that, she was also dealing with the grief from her best friend's murder. Yet, I believe she got to the right place about the same time you did, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto smiled, but he made sure it didn't stay on his face too long. In this case, being proud of her probably wasn't a good thing to display. "Um..Is there advice somewhere in that?"

"There is. If it comes down to a situation where someone negates the rules, trust Ino."

Naruto met him eye-to-eye and nodded. "With my life."

And it wasn't something he had to think about. Nor was it a question.

Shikamaru gave him a pat on the back and turned to leave.

"What – no veiled threats about not hurting her?" Naruto asked, certain that he deserved such threats. Heck, they might even him feel less guilty.

Naruto felt Kumiko tugging on his pant leg, looked down, and the girl flashed a fake badge at him.

"Know what a _fisk _is?" Kumiko asked him, except instead of frisk, it was 'fisk'.

Naruto winked at the kid, ruffled her hair and assured her that he did.

"That's something Ino taught her," Shikamaru explained, obviously not too pleased about it. He passed the box to Naruto so he could scoop up his daughter in his arms.

"As for you relationship with one of my best friends, Ino can take care of herself. I'm more concerned about you than her."

"Me?"

"Ino feels she has to work twice as hard and twice as long to prove herself. Added to that, she's not just married to the badge, she's in love with it. And she wont give that up for you or any other man."

Not exactly a newsflash. Naruto had known and admired that about her from day one.

"I wouldn't even think of asking her to give it up."

Shikamaru stared at him for a moment, and Naruto felt the man was sizing him up. Probably was.

"It'll be interesting to watch."

"Know what _terrogation_ is?" that from Kumiko, though Naruto understands that she was meaning to ask 'interrogation'.

"I know." Naruto smiled at the young girl, in fact he might be in the middle of one right now. A subtle one, where the lieutenant was getting him to ask the questions and then provide the answers as well.

"What'll be interesting to watch?" Naruto directed at Shikamaru.

"How Ino deals with you."

Naruto got the feeling Shikamarau left off a portion of that observation. The flip side to that coin was how the heck was he going to deal with her.

"Wait," Naruto said when Shikamaru started to walk away. "You forgot your box."

"It's for Ino. Make sure she gets it."

There it was again. That almost smug look that Shikamaru aimed his way. Or maybe it was a look of sympathy, if so, Naruto needed it.

As soon as Shikamaru disappeared, the door to the chief's office swung open. "Come in, Uzumaki."

Definitely not a polite suggestion. Judging from the way the elder man gestured for him to sit down; this wouldn't be a long meeting.

"You're closing in on this sniper case?" Jiraiya asked, which was probably the only semblance of a greeting Naruto would get.

"I hope. Detective Yamanaka and I have been undercover on it all week."

"I heard. I'm not sure why Shikamaru paired you with her for this."

"She was the right person for the assignment," Naruto calmly insisted.

Best to leave out the part of _how _she'd become the right person. Besides, it no longer mattered. She was the right person, and that had nothing to do with all the sexual stuff going on between them.

The chief put his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. "So what about these allegations?"

Now this was the part where Naruto wouldn't leave anything out.

"I haven't seen a single incident of favoritism, and I've been in contact with all three of them on this sniper case."

The fingers unsteepled, and the man made a huffing sound.

"Did Yamanaka Ino have anything to do with helping you out with that conclusion?"

Naruto pondered that a moment. Not because he needed time to think about it, but he wanted to put a chokehold on the anger he felt over that question.

"No," he said honestly.

"No," the chief repeated. "You sure you're not thinking below the belt on this, Uzumaki?"

Naruto tightened that chokehold a little more. "If you're questioning my objectivity – "

"I am. And don't look so damn riled about it. It wouldn't be the first time."

"It would be for me." If that didn't thoroughly tick off the chief, the next thing he had to say probably would.

"I'm attracted to Yamanaka Ino, but I wouldn't lie about allegations because my feelings for her. And if you think I'm the kind of man who'd do that, then you need to get someone else to do this investigation."

The chief studied him. And then scowled.

"I don't want anyone else. Besides, you've got a fresh eye since you haven't been here that long. Keep looking. If there's something to find, I want to know about it."

Jiraiya gave him a dismissal wave, which Naruto ignored. He got to his feet, but instead of leaving, he stared at the chief.

"Have there even been any legitimate complaints against Lieutenant Nara?"

"A rumor or two."

"Rumors?" Naruto couldn't help it. He cursed, and he didn't keep it under his breath. "And you're willing to put his career at risk for rumors?"

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure morale stays high."

"Well, that's the wrong way to go about it sir. I'll give you my final report when I'm finished with the sniper case, but there wont be anything in it that I haven't already said to you, right here, right now."

And with that, Naruto walked out, no doubt leaving any chance of his promotion behind the chief's office.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** This chapter has been replaced due to some typographical errors. I would like to thank **LostsoulofRegret**, **munky5**, and **The Dude Of Doom** for pointing it out. I would like to send my humble apologies to all my readers for not being able to triple-check this episode. I'm in desperate need of sleep when I was trying to finish this yesterday. Nevertheless, thank you for patronizing this story. Read, Enjoy and Review.

Sincerely yours,

~Ino Ishii

* * *

Ino had braced herself for just about anything to happen during their meeting with Sasori. But what she hadn't anticipated was that things would get interesting before they even reached Perfect Match.

She stared in the side mirror, her heart rate automatically kicking up a few notches.

"You see it?" she asked Naruto.

"Yes." He continued to drive, but like her, he was keeping an eye on the rearview mirror. "A black BMW."

"That's the one." At the moment, it was three cars back, but it'd stayed close enough behind them since they left the parking lot of the apartment. "Did you happen to notice it when we hot back from the headquarters?"

"No, you?"

She shook her long platinum blonde locks. And if it'd been there, Ino almost certainly would have seen it.

And that's exactly the sort of flag that she'd been looking for.

If the sniper was truly suspicious of them, then in all likelihood he or she would try to follow them.

And perhaps even try to kill them again.

"I cant read the license." Ino informed the spiky blonde male.

"Me neither."

"Do you think it's Sasori?" Ino asked.

"Possible." Naruto replied. After all he had called the man an hour ago and had asked him to meet them at Perfect Match, so it wasn't so much of a coincidence that they'd arrive at the same time.

But this just didn't feel like a coincidence.

Ino squinted against the sun as she tried to get a glimpse of the driver of the said vehicle instead of the plates. And just like before, the late morning sun was a serious hindrance. It glinted off the other car's windshield, making it impossible for Ino to see who was following them.

"The windows are bullet resistant," Naruto reminded her. "We'll park and stay put to see what our stalker does."

It was a good plan, if the sit and wait didn't take too long. They still needed to work on contacting Karin, and that wouldn't happen if they had to play games with their stalker.

Naruto pulled into a parking space directly in front of the agency. The spots are normally filled with cars are now practically empty. The closed sign on the door likely had a lot to do with that, and the fact that there'd been a recent shooting in the area.

The BMW by passed them and parked behind one of the few vehicles at the end of the block.

Ino tried to see through the sunny glare, but she could only make out a shadowy figure. She slid her hand over her weapon. And waited.

Mercy. And the waiting was the hardest part.

A stir of movement to her right caused her to glance in that direction. Sasori opened the front door and motioned for them to come in.

"Well, whoever was watching us, it's not Sasori," she mumbled. That only left Karin, Kabuto and Dr. Tomoyama. Of course it also left any sicko they might not have considered. Some other client or rejected lover with an attitude problem.

Still, Ino didn't think they were off the mark with their short list of suspects. It was more than likely one of those four. She just didn't know how to go about proving which one.

Sasori motioned again. This time, it wasn't so friendly. It was definitely a hurry-up signal. But Ino was fairly sure that no matter how frantic the man's signals got Naruto wouldn't let either of them step out of the car with that sedan lurking about.

With a squeal of tires, the BMW backed up just enough so it could circle around to a side street, and it sped away.

"Should we pursue?" she asked her partner.

"No, let's stick with the plan, if it follows us when we come out, we'll try to run the plates to see who's interested in what we're doing."

She smiled at Sasori and held up her index finger in a one-minute gesture. The man ducked back inside. That didn't mean, however, that he wouldn't be spying on them from the window.

"This'll be a quick in and out," Naruto said, going over the rules. "We tell Sasori about the wedding being set for tomorrow and see if he'll give us Karin's number under the guise of us inviting her to the ceremony. And that's it. Those two things and we get out of here."

While he checked his weapon, Ino stared at the building that housed Perfect Match. But not just the building. The alley up the street where someone had tried to gun them down.

Yes. She definitely understood Naruto's insistence of a quick in and out. Looking at that spot made her arm ache, and it didn't do much for the rest of her, either.

"What if Sasori wont tell us how to get in touch with Karin?" she asked.

He shrugged. "The rules still apply here."

Not exactly the answer she wanted to hear. "I swear I'm going to needlepoint that on a pillow."

"No detours, Ino. No shortcuts." That was as much of an order as it was a warning, and void of sarcasm or humor. "This isn't time to try to bring down a killer. We've got a plan set in motion to do that."

"Okay, okay. It just makes me crazy to think of this piece of slime walking around free while we've got two people dead and two more seriously injured."

"I know, and we'll get the person responsible."

That soothed her a little, but not nearly enough. Even though her brain told her the shootings weren't her fault, there was still the sickening feeling that she should have been able to stop it. People were hurt because she'd failed. No words, even those coming from Naruto, could ease that.

Worse, that dread spread to other areas.

She caught his arm when he started to open the door. Unfortunately, she hadn't really thought beyond that.

Well, she had, but Ino hadn't quite figured out how to convey the things she was feeling.

"Let me just blurt this out because I don't think I can make it sound palatable. You wont take any unnecessary risks, right?"

He angled his head to stare at her. "What's this all about?"

"I've already said it wont make sense. There's just this…fear. There. I've said it. I'm afraid. But not for me, for you. And that's so stupid 'cause you're a cop."

Naruto did something with his mouth, not really a gape but his version of it. "You're worried about me?"

Disgusted with herself, she nodded. She would never believe anyone who old her that sex didn't change things between a man and a woman. Except she'd had sex with other men, and it hadn't changed things. Not like this, anyway.

Nothing had ever changed things like this.

He slid his arm around her and pulled her to him.

"I can take care of myself, Ino. You can take care of yourself. And when all else fails, we both make great backups."

"It's that fail part that's giving me some trouble here. It cant happen, okay?"

He nodded. "Anything else before we go in there?"

Oh.

She knew what he was getting at. His meeting with the chief. It was a bit of unfinished business that would have to remain unfinished a little longer.

"Nothing else." Ino took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

She made yet another mental check of her weapons and communicator as they stepped from the car. Naruto parked close enough so they only had a few steps before they made it to the door. Moving straight into their lovers' pose, they latched on to each other.

* * *

"Mr. Namikaze and Ms. Asakawa," Sasori greeted opening the door and motioning for them to come in. "I was surprised to get your call. I figured all our clients had been scared off by the latest shooting."

"Oh?" And that was all Naruto said. All in all, it was a good leading question.

"You haven't heard?" Sasori shook his head. "It's been all over the news. There was another couple injured last night by this so-called Wedding Sniper. Unfortunately, they were former clients."

Naruto nodded. Ino mumbled something about how horrible it was. She certainly didn't have to fake that part.

Sasori went to the cooler tucked away in the corner and helped himself to not one but two cups of water. While he was there, he pressed some of the buttons on a wall pad, and music began to play. A heavy, sensual sax that didn't exactly mesh with the adrenaline surging through her.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to make this visit quick," Sasori continued. "The security guard that I hired part-time couldn't come in today. He's sick. So I'd rather not stay around here too long."

"We wont keep you. We just wanted to invite you to the wedding." Naruto produced a mock invitation from his pocket. "It's tomorrow. That's short notice, we know, but we'd love for you to be there to celebrate with us."

"And not just you," Ino added, making sure she sounded happy and not suspicious. "We want Yakushi Kabuto and all the other nice people we've met here to come, as well." She snapped her fingers. "Including Hisagi Karin. Although I'm not sure if you know, but Naruto and she chatted."

Sasori's smile faded, and he gripped the invitation with far more force than necessary.

"She was so friendly," Naruto added when Sasori didn't say anything. "But I don't know how to get in touch with her. I thought maybe you'd give her number so we could call her?"

"Sorry. I'm not allowed to give out that kind of information. Tell you what though – if I see Karin I'll tell her. And I'll make sure Kabuto gets the word, too. This might be just what we need to lighten the mood around here." He said as he studied the invitation.

"You're not worried that this sniper would visit your wedding ceremony, too? Right? I mean, because of these other shootings."

It was on the tip of Ino's tongue to lie, but the door behind them flew open. Only because she saw Naruto reach for his gun, she forced herself not to go for hers.

Not immediately anyway.

That way, if it were some legitimate visitor, it wouldn't totally blow their cover for both of them to draw. One gun, they could justify.

Maybe. If it want for Naruto's superb cop reflexes.

Instead, Ino kept her attention firmly on Sasori in case he planned to use this as some kind of diversion and try to kill them.

But the platinum blonde wasn't expecting Sasori's expression when he saw who it was.

The one who stepped in was no other than Dr. Tomoyama Kenji. The physician, too, was kind of surprised.

No widening of his eyes. But he did stop. He glanced at the gun. Naruto. And then her. And then at Sasori.

"What's going on here?" he demanded. "Is this some kind of robbery?"

Naruto didn't exactly relax, nor did he lower his gun. "No robbery."

And now, it was obviously time for damage control.

"We're a little shaken." Ino's voice quivered slightly, which although the unplanned contributed to the proof that the _shaken _part wasn't all façade. She caught Naruto's wrist and lowered his hand, and his weapon, to his side. "It's the shootings."

Tomoyama nodded. "I heard. In fact, the cops came by to see me this morning." He fired a glare at Sasori.

"They asked for an alibi. Can you believe that? They wanted me to provide an alibi. I live alone for goodness's sake. Am I supposed to have friends sleep over just so I wont be accused of some crime?"

"I think they're questioning everyone associated with Perfect Match." Ino provided. "Naruto and I had to go in this morning, as well."

Tomoyama glanced at her again, but this time it didn't stay at a glance. He combed his gaze over her from head to toe. "Excuse me, do I know you?"

Fuck.

That was not what she wanted to hear right now.

Yamanaka Ino wasn't so sure if her late pink-haired best friend had shown Tomoyama a picture of hers when they were still getting to know each other.

Beside her, she also felt Naruto's arm stiffen. He was no doubt thinking the same thing she was. That Tomoyama might recognize her as Sakura's best friend.

If so, they're in serious trouble.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Ino pretended to study his face.

"Maybe we've met. I've been here a couple of times. Infact, my fiancé and I met right here at Perfect Match." For good measure she thrust out her hand so he could see the engagement ring.

"Very nice," he said without even looking at it.

"We're here to invite Sasori to the wedding." Naruto explained. "And Hisagi Karin, of course."

At first, she was surprised that Naruto included the woman's name, but she soon realized it was a smart thing to do.

Tomoyama's mouth eased into a sarcastic smile. "Trust me, you wouldn't want to invite Karin. She's not exactly wedding guest material."

"You know her?" Naruto asked.

But the answer didn't come from Tomoyama, but from Sasori after he had shared a glance with his doctor. "We both know her. I'm afraid Karin sometimes has trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy. She's no longer a client here. That's the main reason I had security here the night of the icebreaker. Karin has a tendency to show up uninvited."

"She seemed nice enough when I spoke to her," Naruto insisted. "And I told her I'd invite her to the wedding. I'd really like to get in touch with her."

There was a long silence, and Ino didn't even try to fill it in with useless chitchat. Something unspoken passed between Sasori and Tomoyama.

"I'll get the number for you," Sasori announced.

He turned and went down the hall, presumably to his office. Ino didn't take any chances. She positioned herself so that Naruto would be able to return fire if the man came back not with an address but with a gun.

Tomoyama picked up a pen and a sheet of note paper from the receptionist's desk. He wrote something down and then handed the paper to Naruto.

"That's Karin's cellphone number. I doubt Sasori has it. And don't worry, I'm not violating any doctor-patient confidentiality since I've never seen Karin professionally. The truth is, we met here one evening and exchanged numbers. It didn't work out between us but she continues to call dozens of times each day."

Naruto stuffed the piece of paper into his pocket. "Thanks."

"I'm not doing you any favors," Tomoyama insisted.

"The truth is I'm hoping that if the two of you offer Karin friendship, it'll be a more positive direction for her."

"And maybe she'll stop calling you?" Naruto tossed back.

A little flash of anger danced through the doctor's eyes before he smiled. "That, too."

Sasori returned and handed Naruto a piece of paper as well, but when Ino glanced at the number, she realized it wasn't the same on Tomoyama had given them.

Maybe one of them would pan out.

"Now if you'll excuse us," Tomoyama said, taking Sasori's arm. "Hiruko and I have some things to discuss in private. Good luck with your wedding plans."

Naruto and Ino started for the door, but he stopped as soon as the two men disappeared into the hall.

"You think Tomoyama drives a black BMW?" Ino whispered through the music.

"We'll know soon enough."

He glanced at the corridor on the other side of the room, and she knew what he was thinking. On the pretense of going to the ladies' room, she'd used that corridor to circle around the back of the building so she could get to Sasori's office.

I can pretend to go to the bathroom," Ino suggested. "I might be able to hear what they're discussing."

Naruto obviously thought about it but then shook his head. "It's too risky."

"Not if you wander over toward that hall so you could keep an eye on Sasori's office. That way, you can alert me if they come out. And if they're suspicious , you can just say you're waiting for me to get out of the ladies' room. In the meantime, you can call Karin and check on the vehicles registered to Dr. Tomoyama.

"It's still risky."

"And so is waiting for the sniper to strike again. I'm betting those two know something." She told her spiky blonde partner.

"Yeah." He angled his eyes in her direction. "Just assure me that you can take care of yourself."

Ino smiled. Not from joy. But from the weirdness of the moment. She'd succeeded in winning im over to her impromptu plan, but it didn't exactly leave her feeling victorious.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. And you do the same. I'll keep my communicator on in case you need me."

Ino gave him one last look, one that she hoped calmed his concerns. But there was nothing calm about what she was feeling.

* * *

She drew her weapon, shielding it against her leg and started down U-shaped network of hallways. Thankfully, there weren't any employees or clients lingering around.

But had someone turned up the music? The sensual sound of sax no longer seemed to be sensual. It suddenly seemed loud. Overpowering, actually. Or maybe it was because the beat now matched the heartbeat drumming in her ears.

"Everything okay?" Ino whispered into her communicator.

"They haven't come out." Naruto let her know.

She paused at the final section of the hall that was only about ten yards from Sasori's office and took a quick look around the corner. She caught a glimpse of Naruto at the end of the hall before she ducked back.

"Great," she mumbled under her breath.

Even with the music, she should have heard shouting or even a normal conversation between Sasori and Tomoyama.

Tomoyama had certainly done some shouting the last time he was here. It was Murphy's Law that he wouldn't cooperate in the volume department today.

And that meant that she needed to get closer.

It wasn't an actual sound that alerted her, but something did. Something that sent her spinning to the side.

Everything that followed happened in a blur.

Too fast for her to go on the offensive. The man came out from one of the rooms and rammed his body against hers, slamming her against the concrete wall. Her injured arm hit first, and the pain was immediate and searing that Ino thought she saw stars.

Another body slam.

He threw the full force of his weight right into her. The impact knocked the breath out of her. While she was fighting to pull air into her lungs, Ino got a good look at her attacker's face.

Yakushi Kabuto.

He clamped his hand around the front of her throat. But not to try to choke her, she soon learned. He suddenly ripped the communicator from beneath her collar.

"I knew there was something wrong about you," he snarled. "Who the hell are you?!"

Ino knew she had to act fast. Naruto was no doubt already on his way, and she didn't want him walking in on this, especially since he'd have to go past Sasori and Tomoyama first. This was not the time for a gun battle.

Ignoring the pain in her arm and lungs, Ino brought up her leg, and using so much force as she could marshal, she kneed Kabuto in the groin.

He howled in pain and immediately released the grip he had on her.

And she didn't stop there.

Ino grabbed his forearm and slung him forward so that he was the one against the wall. Face-first. A quick pat down, and she discovered he wasn't armed.

"Ino?" she heard Naruto call out.

But that wasn't all she heard. She heard footsteps coming from the other direction, as well. They were all converging toward her.

She kept her forearm pressed against Kabuto's back and snatched up her gun. That couple of moments must have given him his second wind because he tried to come at her again. He whirled around, his fist ready to bash her right in the face.

"Ino!" Naruto yelled.

She was vaguely aware of Naruto rounding the corner. But just vaguely.

Thankfully, he didn't dive in and pull a knight-in-shining-armor maneuver. He stayed back and let her do her job.

Ino ducked.

Kabuto's attempted jab breezed past her head and in the same motion; she delivered a snap kick to his stomach.

She didn't give him a chance to get a second wind. Recoiling, she pivoted and landed another kicking blow to the back of his legs. Kabuto went down to the floor, hard and gasping for breath.

It took everything inside her not to slam him right back against the wall and read him his rights because that wasn't a smart thing to do. There was still a chance that Naruto and she could keep their cover intact.

If not, then they were in trouble because they were in the same building with three of their four murder suspects.

Doing some light gasping of her own, Ino glanced around to get her bearings. Naruto was on one side, his weapon drawn. Standing on the other side were Dr. Tomoyama and Sasori, in stunned silence.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. The muscles in his jaw had turned to iron. He looked ready to rip Kabuto from limb to limb.

Ino nodded. "He tried to assault me. He wasn't successful." And after delivering that news to Naruto, she made certain she added a stern look that hopefully would convince him to stay in cover. "Guess all that self-defense training finally came in handy."

"She's got a gun." Kabuto managed to say. He struggled to get to his feet. Staggered. And dropped back to his knees.

Ino angled her body so she could deliver another snap kick if necessary. "Good thing too, huh? A woman never knows when she'll need a gun."

Sasori came closer. "What's going on here?" Maybe the adrenaline was clouding her senses, but Ino couldn't tell if he was concerned for her, or for Kabuto.

"I think she's the sniper!" Kabuto snarled.

Oh, great.

It was either fast thinking on his part to save his butt, or else he genuinely believed that. If it was the latter, it would explain why he'd come after her in the first place. But Ino wasn't about to stake her life on anything that Kabuto said. Even if he wasn't the sniper, the man was slime.

"She's wearing some kind of wire." Kabuto leaned into the wall so he could stand. Not easily. However,

"This?" Ino made a point of showing both Sasori and Tomoyama her communicator when she picked it up from the floor.

"It's not a wire. It's a walkie-talkie. A way for me and Naruto to stay connected when we cant be together. Call me overly devoted, but I like being able to talk with the man I love 24/7."

Naruto gave a confirming nod, and turned back his collar so they could see his communicator, as well.

There were several tense seconds. Several uncomfortable glances between Sasori and Tomoyama before the former finally moved and took Kabuto's arm. "Let's discuss this in my office."

"Wait," Kabuto said, holding his ground. He fired a nasty glare at her. "I she's not the sniper then what the hell was she doing sneaking around back here?"

"I was looking for the bathroom," Ino quickly provided. No glare for her. She made sure she looked upset, which wasn't that difficult considering what had just gone down. Her heart was still racing from the fight.

More tense moments, Naruto walked closer to stand right by her side. Maybe for comfort. Or maybe he just wanted to be in a better position to fire if it came down to that.

"I'm sorry this happened, Ms. Asakawa," Sasori finally said. "I hope you'll accept my apology." And he didn't just say it either. He appeared to be sorry. Of course, that sincerity could have been for all the wrong reasons. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk with Kabuto in private. I trust the two of you can see yourselves out."

Yes they could do that, but it meant turning their backs on at least one potential killer. Still, leaving was about the only way to maintain their cover. Naruto obviously felt the same.

He didn't reholster his gun, nor did he take her arm - a move that would have hampered her ability to return fire. However, he did gesture with his head for them to get moving.

Ino complied. But she glanced over her shoulder. And neither of them stopped glancing until they were out of the building and in the car.

Naruto started the engine and drove away. He made it a full block before he slid his arm around her and pulled her to him. The muscles in his body were still rock-hard, and that jaw told her that he was from winning the battle with adrenaline.

"Thanks a lot for not jumping in fists first back there when you saw me with Kabuto."

It seemed as if several times he changed his mind about what to say. "You didn't appear to need me to jump in."

Oh, that cost him. The words were right. So was the sentiment. However, he'd not said it easily. "I didn't, but Shikamaru and Chouji forget that sometimes."

"I can see why," that was all he said for the next couple of seconds. "Just don't expect me to forget it again if Kabuto comes near you."


	15. Chapter 15

Hi! I was trying to update this story as soon as possible cause my vacation would soon be over and I'll be a little bit occupied with my thesis. But don't worry you guys, I'll definitely finish this story.

P.S. Another cop story plot occurred to me this morning and I was wondering…if you guys would still like me to write a cop story involving these two characters as soon as I finished this story. Or would you rather read one-shots?

As always, don't forget to R&R!!! Thanks a bunch!

~Ino Ishii

* * *

Yamanaka Ino slept the same way she did everything else in life – thoroughly.

At first, she'd balked at his idea of resting while they waited for Karin to return his call, but once Naruto had coaxed her into lying down on the sofa, she'd fallen asleep within minutes. He even managed to doze off in the adjacent chair.

Since they'd gotten virtually no sleep the night before, it was a necessity. He wanted the two of them to be alert as possible for the meeting with Karin.

And for anything else they might face today.

A lot of things had gone wrong at Perfect Match, and that was an understatement.

It could have been much worse.

When Kabuto came after Ino, she' fought him off, subdued him – all without blowing her cover.

And that pissed Naruto off.

_Ino can take care of herself. _Shikamaru had told him before. And it was true. She could.

That didn't mean, however, that she couldn't be hurt. It sure as heck didn't mean she was invincible.

Rather than identify herself to Kabuto as a police officer, read the scum his rights and/or take him down the hard way, she'd risked everything.

Part of him, the cop part, greatly admired her devotion to her duty. But the rest of him just wanted to grab her by the shoulders, give her a hard shake and yell at her for taking chances like that with her life.

Not that yelling would do any good, but at least then she'd know…

Know what?

Naruto stopped and brooded over that for a moment. And he decided it wouldn't be a good idea to finish that thought.

He stood, brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and forced his attention away from her mouth – which somehow managed to look both innocent and sensual at the same time. He went into the bathroom so he could call headquarters.

He reached Detective Hyuuga Hinata who in turn transferred his call to Chouji, who' apparently been doing the trace on the vehicle that's followed them.

Not exactly a duty in Chouji's job description. Well, not unless the case had strayed over into Special Investigations.

"Please tell me you volunteered for this extra work, Detective Akimichi." Naruto commented.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a glutton for cyber searches," he said sarcastically, but the sarcastic tone quickly faded. "All the other officers are busy working on the wedding details so I figured I'd pitch in and do my part."

In this case, his part was over and above. "Thanks," Naruto told the officer on the other line.

"Let's just say you owe me and leave it at that." Chouji responded. He didn't give Naruto a chance to ask him to elaborate.

"Okay, here goes. There are hundreds of black BMW's registered to owners who live in the area. Guess that's not a surprise. So I did some cross-referencing with your suspects and got lucky. One of them has a late model black BMW."

"Yakushi Kabuto?" Naruto guessed.

"You got it. I guess that's not a surprise either?"

"Not really. He came after Ino while we were visiting Sasori."

There was a short pause. "Define _came after Ino_," commanded Chouji.

Naruto hoped this sounded better aloud, but he wasn't counting on it. "Kabuto claimed he thought she was the sniper so he tried to apprehend her."

Another pause, a long one, and Naruto didn't need to see the man's expression to know that Chouji was not happy with his latest development. "She wasn't hurt?"

"No." But the images of her pulverizing Kabuto didn't do much to ease that tight fist around his heart. If she hadn't ducked, if she'd been just an inch or two out of position to deliver those snap kicks, if the man had been a fraction faster, then…

There was it again.

Those running commentaries in his head that he really didn't want to finish. But these wouldn't back off.

The truth was, even if all those other things had happened, she would have no doubt found a way to kick Kabuto's butt. Ino wouldn't have given up.

That last part didn't exactly make him feel better, either.

"She handled Kabuto on her own?" Chouji asked.

"Yeah." Naruto braced himself for Chouji's lecture that would no doubt contain a lot of profanity and a thorough dressing down for not protecting his best friend and "sister".

But a lecture didn't come.

"She wouldn't have appreciated the help anyway," Chouji grumbled.

"That was my guess, too"

Now there was some profanity, but it wasn't aimed at Naruto. "It doesn't make it any easier to watch."

Naruto settled for a "No."

The conversation might have lacked quantity, but at the end of the next pause, Naruto felt as if he'd reached some sort of truce with one of Ino's best buddies. It was a truce he hadn't even realized he wanted until it happened.

"So the next step is to speak to Hisagi Karin?" Chouji asked, getting them back into a comfort zone they both understood.

"I'm waiting for her to return my call now." He checked his watch. That wait was now on its third hour. "I got her cell number from Tomoyama and left her a message."

"Tomoyama, huh? That's an interesting source for that particular bit of info."

Yes, Naruto though so, as well. "Sometimes, I wonder if all four of them aren't in on it. Like some conspiracy to cover up something that got botched either at Perfect Match or Tomoyama's office. They just keep coiling and winding around each other like a nest of vipers."

If he thought for one minute it would stop the sniper, Naruto would haul all of them in and lock them up for as long as possible. Without physical evidence to connect them to the crimes, however, that lock up wouldn't last long. They'd lawyer up and be out before the ink dried on the paperwork.

There was a tap at the door, and he opened it to find Ino was standing there. "Hello, Chouji," she said, leaning closer to the phone. "Thin walls," she added when Naruto just looked at her.

"Thanks for the BMW info," he told Chouji. "I'll let you know how it goes with Karin."

"_If_ it goes." Ino corrected when he hung up.

"It'll go." But Naruto was beginning to doubt it himself. If she didn't call soon, they'd have to look for her.

Karin was the one player in all of this that they hadn't had a real chance to question. Naruto had absolutely no proof, but the feeling in his gut told him that she had information that could help them get a handle on this case.

Or else she was the killer.

But either way, he needed to talk to her. With the wedding only a day away, that talk had to come soon.

Naruto watched as Ino peeled off her jacket, and in the process he felt his body rev up for all sorts of carnal possibilities.

A glimpse of her lacy bra egged those possibilities on even more. But they came to a quick crash and bur when she reached for the first aid kit.

"Another scratch?" he asked. Naruto tried to keep emotion out of his voice, but the battle was lost before he opened his mouth.

Ino shook her head. "Same one."

She quickly tossed the old bandage in the trash. It wasn't so fast that Naruto didn't see the fresh blood.

"That fight with Kabuto," he mumbled.

Hell.

"It's no big deal." She wiped her wound with antiseptic, hissed out a breath at the inevitable sting and put on a fresh bandage. "I just didn't want to get any blood on the wedding dress when I try it on to make sure it fits."

He was glad Chouji and Shikamaru weren't around. Heck, he didn't even want to hear it, so he focused on the second part of her oh-so casual comment that wasn't anywhere in the realm of being casual.

"What wedding dress?" he inquired.

She turned and went into the bedroom. "It was in that box that Shikamaru gave you."

And now it was on the bed. The corner of the large rectangular box was lifted slightly, and Naruto caught a glimpse of ivory silk.

"Look the other way," she instructed. "I'm about to strip down to my underwear."

His body revved up again. "Modest?" Hard to believe, especially since they had a go at each other in the bathroom a night before.

"No. Considering you've already seen me naked, modesty would be pointless. I just don't want you looking for any bruises that Kabuto might have left on me."

Another immediate halt on the revving. With lots of effort, he could ignore the blood comment but not that one. "Damn it, Ino, did he hurt you?"

"No, but he likely bruised me when he slammed me against the wall." She discarded her top on the bed and unzipped her skirt. "Don't worry, I'm positive his bumps and bruises outnumber mine, and I seriously doubt he'll be able to sit for a while."

That didn't help one bit. "This isn't a contest. Or a joking matter."

Huffing, she sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the dress from the box. But her attention wasn't on the heap of the silk, lace and seed pearls. Her eyes lifted to connect with his.

"Don't you think I know that? Care to guess what was going through my mind while I was ramming my knee into Kabuto's reproductive organs? I was thinking, no, _worrying_, about you. I was afraid if you came in with guns blazing and fists flying, you'd get hurt.

"Guns blazing and fists flying?" Naruto was on the verge of telling her that those things would have never happened. _Never. _But it was too uncomfortably close to a lie.

The truth was he'd considered blazing guns, flying fists and any other extreme force when he saw Kabuto swing that punch at Ino.

"Great," she mumbled. "Shika didn't pick this out. This is my mom's dress."

It took Naruto a moment to pound down the anger he was still feeling over those possible bruises, but from the groan that Ino made, it was obvious they had another problem to deal with first.

"It's a message," she went on.

"I don't make the connection." Naruto shook his head, sure he'd missed something.

"It's my mother's way of saying 'I-know-you-wont-do-anything-that'll-result-in-bullet-holes-or-bloodstains-on-this-wedding-dress-since-it's-practically-a-family-heirloom'. Her way of showing me that she's worried about me." Ino gave a heavy sigh.

"Well, that makes two of us."

Except he knew it wasn't limited to such a small number. There was Shikamaru, Chouji and probably the whole Yamanaka clan. Naruto would have loved to say that their concern wasn't warranted. But it was.

In less than twenty-four hours, the undercover assignment would take them in the direction of the church – and the sniper, as well.

He was still in knots about that when he felt her fingertip skim over his stomach. His bare stomach.

"Your button's undone," she said, remedying that for him. Well, she remedied it after another brush of her fingertip.

"Are you trying to distract me from those possible bruises?" he arched his eyebrow.

"Yes, I am." She smiled, undid the button again and planted a kiss on his stomach. "Is it working?"

He fought to hang on to the anger a little longer, but it slipped away. "Like a charm," he said. And because the distraction felt so damn good, he slid his finger over the lacy edge of her bra.

White lace against her cream-colored skin. Talk about erotic.

Well, of course it was highly possible because it was Ino's bra. Ino's breast.

"What can I say, I'm easy," Naruto said as he stared directly on Ino's aqua eyes.

"You're a lot of things, Sergeant Uzumaki Naruto, but easy isn't one of them. In fact, I'd say you're the hardest thing in my life right now. And no, there are no raunchy hidden meanings in that." Ino smiled at the blonde male opposite her.

Naruto smiled and pushed the thoughts of bruises and snipers aside when she grabbed a handful of his shirt and hauled him onto the bed with her.

He landed on top of her, but like the previous night, she quickly did something about that.

Ino shifted, rolling them both over the soft mattress, and when she'd finished the rolling, she was on top, straddling him.

"Control issues?" he asked.

But her mouth was already swooping down on his. Fast.

A hungry kiss that left no doubt that she wasn't after conversation. It was next to impossible to argue with that, even though he should be arguing.

Instead, he was just thankful he'd picked up some condoms when he'd filled up the car with gas at the nearby convenience store.

Naruto reached up, opened the front closure on her bra and had the satisfaction of her breasts spilling out into his hands. She was firm. And supple.

Perfect.

He cupped one, then the other and ran his thumbs over her nipples.

It was obvious she enjoyed it from the way her mouth opened, and the soft sound of pleasure she made.

Ino didn't take the time to savor that pleasure, however. She pulled off her skirt, dragging it up and over her head and flinging it aside.

No pause. No hesitation.

She later went after his belt and zipper. And Naruto surprised her, and himself, by catching on to her wrist to stop her.

"Control issues?" he repeated. "Claustrophobia? Is that why you like to be on top?"

She gave him an 'all right, here goes' huff.

"The missionary stuff is just a little scary for me, okay? It's that whole being passive part."

"Passive?" Naruto asked in disbelief for he knew that sex with Ino was anything but passive.

Another flustered huff. And a hesitation.

"It's just that, it doesn't feel right. Or fair. It's almost no work being on the bottom, and yet I still get all the…benefits."

Interesting. She carried her belief in the bedroom that she had to work twice as hard and twice as long to get what she wanted.

As her cue that the conversation was over, she leaned down and went after his neck with a kiss. And she didn't stop there.

Ino slid her hand over the front of his pants, a move that had Naruto going from seriously aroused to rock-hard.

"But if it's something you want – "

Naruto ended that with a kiss of his own. "The only thing I want is you, Ino."

That slowed her down. She lifted her head, and her gaze met his.

In the depth of those aqua orbs, there was concern that he was sure was mirrored in his. Concern they might have actually discussed.

If his cellphone hadn't rung.

Cursing, she rolled off him so he could snatch the ringing annoyance that was still clipped to his belt.

"Hello," he barked. And this had better be important. Critical, even.

"Is this Namikaze Naruto?" the woman on the other line asked.

Even with the untimely interruption and his reaction to it, it only took him a split second to realize it was Hisagi Karin.

He said the woman's name aloud so that Ino would know, as well. She moved closer to him so she could hear the conversation.

But there wasn't much to hear.

"I'll meet you at the coffee shop at the intersection of Watanabe street and Okajima," she instructed. "You know the place?"

"I'll find it." Naruto simply said.

"Good. I'll see you in an hour. And Naruto? My advice is to watch your back. Someone's been following me. I think it might be this sniper."

And with that, Karin hung up.

"I guess it wont do any any good to remind you this could be a trap?" Ino asked.

Naruto shook his head, his attention not on her but on driving through the massive parking lot that serviced businesses.

"What would you do if Sasori, Tomoyama, or even, heaven forbid, Kabuto called and asked you to meet them?"

It was a cheap – and incredibly effective – way to win an argument.

She'd go of course. With backup. Which Naruto had, since there was no way she'd let him do this alone. That's why Ino had worn jeans and a t-shirt and stuffed her hair beneath a baseball cap.

It was as close to disguise as she could get on such a short notice.

The plan they'd put together on the drive over was for her to do the surveillance from the car and alert him via the communicator if anyone suspicious approached the place.

"What about Karin's 'someone's been following me. I think it might be this sniper' comment?" Ino reminded him. "Think it's true?"

"Could be."

And that was all the more reason to stay alert. She didn't want the sniper or anyone else sneaking up on them.

* * *

Naruto drove slowly past Java Kouhii's, the coffee shop that Karin instructed him to meet with her. It wasn't exactly quaint and cozy with the massive floor-to-ceiling windows that fronted the place.

Even though there were only about a half dozen customers, with those windows and jammed parking lot, it'd be next to impossible to make sure someone didn't pull out a rifle and start firing right through the glass.

"I'll sit in a booth near the back," Naruto commented, obviously addressing her concern before Ino could even voice it out. Something he did often. It was almost as if they could read each other's minds.

Almost.

The big exception to that was all the personal stuff going on between them. Other than his 'the-only-thing-i-want-is-you-Ino' comment on the bed, they hadn't talked a lot about, well, their feelings.

She took the blame for that though.

She'd done the majority for the stonewalling, but she wouldn't be able to keep it up.

Eventually they'd be alone. Eventually, the phone wouldn't ring, and they'd get around to having that mind-blowing sex that she'd been fantasizing about.

In addition to a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which it would certainly be, it'd create a bond between them that even her surly attitude and devotion to the badge might not be able to break.

Still, that wouldn't stop her.

Whatever was brewing between them wouldn't be put off by her doubts. Or her fears.

Frustrated at her inability to keep her mind on the mission, Ino checked the time.

Since they'd left not long after Karin's call, they still had a good fifteen minutes to spare. Well, unless the woman was the always-arrive-early type like Ino was.

If so, then Karin might come walking up at any moment.

She glanced in the vanity mirror to make sure too-visible hair hadn't escaped the cap, and while Naruto was tucking and hiding, something occurred to her.

"How about this? I'll take one of the booths on the right facing the window. That way, I can make sure no one comes in unannounced. You take Karin to a booth on the other side of the shop.

"And what if she recognizes you?" Naruto asked.

"That's what outstretched newspapers are for. I'll buy one on my way in. Look," Ino added when she saw the hesitancy in his eyes. "This might be the only chance we get to talk to her. She might know something that can help us to stop the sniper."

Naruto glanced at the coffee shop. At her. And then at those windows. He shook his head. "Don't make me regret this."

Too bad she couldn't promise him that.

Ino wished him good luck and got out before he could change his mind. Keeping a vigilant watch and trying to stay inconspicuous, she hurried across the parking lot and into the shop. As planned, she bought a paper and ducked into one of the booths.

And waited.

Naruto came in several minutes later, and he took the only booth that was available on the far side of the room.

He was visible, but barely.

Ino had to scrunch herself in the corner to keep him and the windows in sight.

"Equipment check," she whispered into her communicator.

"I hear you," Naruto responded.

So the equipment cooperated. Hopefully, everything else would. She hated stakeouts in public places because there are just too many factors she couldn't control.

The door finally swung open, and Karin walked in.

Obviously, this was not one of her better appearance days. Dressed all in dark colors, she had her hair pulled back and was wearing a pair of large-lens sunglasses.

"Namikaze Naruto." Karin greeted.

Ino had a nervous moment when the waiter blocker her line of sight, but thankfully Naruto and Karin ordered quickly, and the man moved.

"I guess you know about the other couple who were shot last night?" Ino heard Naruto ask the woman right away.

Karin nodded and pulled off her sunglasses. Ino carefully examined her expression now that she could see the woman's eyes. Her attention wasn't on Naruto but the windows. Yes. She was definitely watching her back.

"Both survived," Naruto continued. "A lot better outcome than the first couple, that's for sure. What were their names? Something like Soske and Sakura?"

"Sasuke," Karin corrected. "We dated, briefly."

Naruto didn't respond to that right away. He waited until after they had their coffee, and he took a long sip.

And it was a good strategy.

Karin was obviously uncomfortable with the silence and began to fidget with her sunglasses,

"The police questioned me about the deaths," Naruto finally said. "I guess they did the same to you?"

"I've been, uh, unavailable." Karin glanced out the window again. Ino did the same.

A longer pause this time for Naruto. "You said something on the phone about being followed?"

"I think it might be the sniper." But then she immediately shook her head. "Or else it's Hiruko Sasori. That's one of the reasons I agreed to see you. I noticed you've been visiting him a lot –"

"How did you know that?"

A spark of surprise. Followed by more fidgeting. Another glance out the window. A glance that turned into a full stare.

Ino followed the woman's gaze to see what had captured her attention and saw the black BMW cruise by.

Fuck. Of all times.

"The BMW's back," Ino whispered into the communicator. She moved out to the edge of the seat in case she had to use her weapon.

"You were saying something about Sasori?" Naruto prompted Karin.

She nodded and moistened her lips. "I wondered if he'd said anything to you about me?"

The car turned, circled and came back toward the coffee shop.

If it was Kabuto, he was either stupid or desperate. But the real question was, what had made him want to follow Karin?

Or had he actually followed Naruto and her?

Of course, there was also the stomach churning possibility that it wasn't Kabuto at all.

Maybe Kabuto wasn't the only person with access to a black BMW. It could be Sasori. And maybe Karin had been right, and it was the sniper following her.

If so, this visit could turn deadly in a hurry.

"He mentioned you a couple of times," Naruto told her. Practically a lie, but it seemed to get Karin's concentration back on him. It also helped her temporary attention deficit when the car darted out of sight again.

"Sasori and I started dating after his fiancée broke off their engagement." She moistened her lips again and ran her index finger over her eyebrow. "He was devastated, said he needed me. He even told me that he was in love with me."

"And then what happened?" Naruto asked.

She shrugged "I don't know. I really don't. He changed, said it wasn't right for him to see me since I was a client. Sometimes, I wonder if he's the sniper," Karin said softly. "I mean, all three of those grooms were me I once dated."

"Push that button," Ino whispered to Naruto knowing that he would have probably jumped on it anyway.

But the pushing wasn't even necessary. Karin continued on her own. "I think Sasori needs help."

"Yeah. I've heard he's in therapy with Dr. Tomoyama." Naruto answered.

Karin made a sound. A soft burst of sarcasm that didn't contain any humor. "Now, there's a pair. The sick trying to heal the sick." Her gaze flew to the window again. "I believe Sasori's mentally unstable."

The BMW was back, slowly weaving its way through the parking lot like some demon on the prowl. Those tinted windows only made it seem more menacing.

"What makes you say that?" Naruto asked, drawing Karin's attention back to him.

"He threatened to kill me. Just two weeks ago. I went to the icebreaker, and he ordered me out. He said he was going to hire a security guard and if I came back, he'd have the guard take care of me. Isn't that unstable enough for you?" Karin snatched up her purse but left her sunglasses lying on the table. "Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies' room."

Unfortunately, the ladies' room was close to the booth where Ino was sitting. While she tried to keep an eye on the car and Karin, she lifted the newspaper high enough so the woman couldn't see her face.

And it worked. Well, maybe because Karin was in a serious hurry.

"Where's the BMW?" she heard Naruto whisper through the communicator.

"Still circling the place. Should I call a cruiser to pull him over?"

"No. there's no law against driving around a parking lot. Plus, I don't want him to think we have any connection to the police."

Both good points, but it didn't make it any easier to sit there and watch him. "You think Karin's opinion of Sasori is just an act?"

"Could be. She's wired, and it's not from the coffee. She's either scared of Sasori or of her own shadow."

"Or maybe she's just jittery about sitting in a booth with the man she thinks will be her next victim?"

"That, too," Naruto said calmly. Too calmly for Ino's liking. After all, they were talking about a potential plan to murder him.

"We'll tail her when she leaves and see what she's up to."

The moment Naruto said this words, he fired another glance at Ino. She understood it without further explanation. "Keep an eye on the BMW, and I'll check on Karin."

"Be careful," he warned.

Ino kept her head low and her hand on her concealed weapon when she went down the short hallway and eased open the swinging door. The bathroom was small.

Just one stall. A sink. And an open window.

The room was empty.

And their murder suspect was nowhere to be found.


	16. Chapter 16

Hiiya! You know what guys, I was wondering if it's possible for me to make my feet type while I was dozin' off just to be able to give you my "token of appreciation". So if you're going to say, "Wow! That was a speedy update!" Nah, don't mention

The truth is, starting from next week; I'd be busy as hell. I'll surely update but it'll take me a while. I just wanted to atone for my sins, for always hanging up on you guys. So, drum roll please…

And let me present to you, the moment you've all been waiting for. *wink*

Read and Review.

Xoxo,

~Ino Ishii

* * *

"Anything?" Ino asked out when she heard Naruto end his phone conversation with the headquarters.

"Nope. No sign of Karin."

She groaned, but it was exactly the news she'd expected. After all, Karin had managed to elude the police most of the week, so it wasn't surprising that she'd been able to slip out of a bathroom window at the coffee shop and go on the run again.

Of course, it would have been nice if Naruto and she had anticipated that little maneuver so she could have posted herself out the window and stopped the woman.

Instead, they have to accept the fact that Karin had provided them with a lot more questions than answers and then lulled them into allowing her to escape.

Since hindsight wasn't doing much to improve her mood. Ino moved on to the second point of contention.

The wedding dress.

Or more specifically, her mother's wedding dress.

In the adjoining room, she heard Naruto open the fridge. Maybe an early dinner would keep him occupied while she tried on the dress.

It wasn't really modesty that made her want him to stay on the other side of the wall. She just didn't want him to get the idea that she had stars in her eyes and marriage – a genuine marriage – on her mind.

She didn't.

Really.

But she still found herself mumbling profanity under her breath when she held the dress in front of her and glanced at herself on the mirror.

Ino frowned.

What was it about lace and silk that managed to make a woman look great, even when that woman didn't want such cosmetic changes? She was practically glowing, to think that she wasn't the glowing sort.

Or was she?

After dwelling on it for couple of miserable seconds, she realized the idea was growing on her. Well, growing on her if the glowing part included the spiky-blonde hottie on the other side of the wall.

She was definitely in trouble.

Since it was making her depressed and since there was no chance she'd be able to do the dozen silk-covered back buttons by herself, Ino put the dress aside and moved on to an important logistics problem.

Her weapons.

Hiking up the satiny floor-length slip to her waist, she planted her bare foot on the bed and strapped on a leg holster. Then a second one on her other leg.

They'd make great back ups, but she still needed a primary position with better accessibility. It'd take her too long to work her way through the yards of silk to get to two semiautomatics. Those excess yards could get them killed – a thought she quickly pushed aside.

However, that thought didn't stay pushed aside.

It came back with a vengeance, and every worst case scenario started racing through her head.

The sniper opening fire. Naruto in the path of the bullets. Or Naruto protecting her by throwing himself in the path.

No matter which way it played out, he'd be right there. Directly in the path.

Of course, she'd certainly do the same, which meant they'd be so busy protecting each other that it would increase the risk a hundred times over.

With each image came the inevitable slam of adrenaline. An increase in her heart rate. A tightening of her muscles.

Her imagination was a little too good because her body was reacting as if the danger was right there in the room with her.

Which in a way, it was, she soon realized.

"Lara Croft has nothing on you," Naruto commented.

He was standing in the doorway, one hand bracketed on the frame, a bottle of beer on his other hand. With his shirt unbuttoned and his spiky blonde hair mussed he looked like the main player in her darkest fears. In her hottest fantasies.

And the source of her only sanctuary.

She wasn't sure though which one worried her most.

"Maybe you can put your primary in your bouquet?" he suggested.

She heard herself mumble '_it's not big enough_' but the truth was his comment barely penetrated her consciousness.

Ino turned and went to him.

Not for sex.

It would have been so much easier if it'd been just for that. But she needed to melt into his arms. She needed to feel that all would be right with the world.

At the moment, she just wanted those frightening images of snipers and death to go away. And she knew that Naruto could do that for her. He could become her sanctuary.

And he cooperated.

Naruto put his beer on the dresser. As if he had all the time in the world, he circled his arm around her. He drew her to him and touched his mouth to hers. Slow and lingering. Tender. A touch that gave her a little too much time to consider exactly what was happening.

Her slip was cut low in the back, and Naruto skimmed a finger down her bare skin, tracing her spine all the way down.

The heat rolled through her.

"I wont have to think about this if it's fast," she whispered against his mouth.

"I know."

With that reassurance, he didn't speed up. In fact, that single stroking, sliding finger on her back slowed to a trickle. Hardly a touch at all. He handled her like a fragile, paper-thin crystal and fueled a lot of flames in the process.

Did he know what this was doing to her?

No doubt.

Ino tried to speed things up on her own. She French kissed him. Deep and hungry. And then took those kisses to his ear, and then his neck.

A major attention getter, she'd already learned, and his slight rattle of breath let her know she'd gotten his attention in exactly the way she wanted to get it.

She pushed down the slip, stepped out of it, and with his cooperation, she maneuvered them across the room.

The cooperation didn't continue.

Naruto stopped them just short of the bed. He leaned down. No hurried motion, either. He brushed a kiss on the top of her right breast. Then on the left. He kept on going down. Kissing her stomach. Her hip. The lower front of her underwear. Until he reached her ankle.

"_Finally!_" she thought.

This would lead to something wild, hot and fast. A bout of mind-boggling sex that would occupy her mind so she wouldn't worry.

But he slid his clever hand up, over her leg. Over her knee. And slowly, leisurely made his way to her thigh.

He was getting closer, but it definitely wasn't where she wanted his hand.

"Naruto?" Ino whispered, trying to convey the urgency. She got off his shirt, somehow, and had the pleasure of feeling his sculpted musculature jump beneath her fingers.

"Shh," he answered, his warm breath brushing against her skin. He unstrapped her holsters, one by one, and laid them on the nightstand. "It's all right," she heard him whisper.

But was it? Was it really?

The room seemed to be turning. Not quickly, either. Slowly, like his touch. Like some gentle spiral pulling her down into it. She couldn't catch her breath. And why was her heart pounding so hard? It wasn't the only thing pounding, too. Every inch of her, ached. Pulsed.

Burned.

This wasn't sex. It couldn't be. This was something leaps and bounds beyond that. Something so intimate, it frightened her almost as much as those other deadly images in her head.

Shaken, Ino tried again. She pulled Naruto onto the bed next to her. She succeeded and even managed to shove down his pants and anchor her leg over his so he wouldn't move away.

But it didn't stop his slow, methodical hands or mouth. He kissed her. Touched her.

_Really _touched her.

Those fingers moved over her. Exploring. Discovering. Pleasuring her.

He slipped his hand into her panties. He was definitely getting closer, but what she had in mind was having him inside her. Now.

"I have a condom," she said in between breaths. Just in case that was the issue here. She'd picked up some when Naruto had filled up the car at the convenience store and had gotten a strange look from the clerk.

"I have some, too." He informed her right back.

Okay…so if safe sex wasn't the issue, then what the heck was?

With those same slow strokes that matched his incredibly slow kiss, he eased his fingers inside her. Not especially deep. But then, deep wasn't necessary. He got the right spot.

Definitely.

The right pace, too.

And he even had the perfect pressure to make her forget all about the speed that she'd thought she wanted.

No. She wanted this instead.

And Ino suddenly didn't care if it took all night for him to get her there.

It occurred to her that she should be pleasuring him as well, but even that thought faded when he turned them until they were face-to-face, and he slid down her body.

His hair, his face, his mouth brushed against her skin. He kissed her along the way, not missing any available spot, before he rid her of her underwear.

In a move that had her wondering what she'd done to deserve this special treatment, or Naruto, he replaced those clever fingers with his mouth.

The room didn't just turn. It whirled around. Her breath vanished, and her heart slammed against her chest. She was lost. Willingly lost.

Ino moaned, arched into him and ran her own hand into his hair. Her body sought out everything he was giving her. His mouth and tongue took her higher. Higher. Until letting go was her only option.

So she did. Ino let go. And Naruto sent her world spinning out of control.

* * *

It didn't take long before Ino came back down to Earth. Mere seconds. Not that Naruto had expected her to languish in the aftermath, especially when she realized he'd pulled a fast one on her.

Or rather, a slow one.

That climax obviously had its intended effect – to take off the edge. To lessen some of that raw energy inside her so they could spend a little time – all right, a lot of time – just enjoying each other.

And it worked.

She moved lazily and smiled – the smile of a sated woman – who planned to do some sating off her own.

Ino tugged off his boxers while she reached over and took a condom from her purse on the nightstand. She did all the work of putting it on him and made his eyes cross in the process.

When she finished, he caught the back of her neck and pulled her to him. He kissed her. Hot and deep. And did a necessary repositioning of their bodies so that she was on top of him and so that he didn't hurt her arm. He took a moment to savor the sight of her.

All that strength. All that beauty.

Leaning forward, she slid her hands slowly over his chest, her palms gliding through the sweat that already dampened his skin. "Ready for the ride of your life?" she purred like a challenge.

"Are you?" he fired back.

She laughed. And savored that as well, for a moment or two, before he moved just slightly beneath her. The tip of his erection grazed her. And judging from the way her eyelids fluttered and the shudder that went through her body, he'd grazed her in just the right place.

That sent her in search of him. Not that she had to search far, she shifted. Restlessly. Seeking. Naruto did some seeking of his own.

One thrust and he was inside her.

Fuck.

It was better than he'd anticipated. A hell of a lot better. And his anticipation had been pretty darn high.

She reared up, her platinum blonde mane cascading down her bare torso, making her look like a goddess. Bracketing her hands on his chest, she began to move. Naruto caught her hips, to guide her, to take them both where they needed to go.

Picking up the pace, she rocked and slid against him. Their bodies creating the friction. The deep intimate contact. The rhythm. Until she had him close. And this wasn't simply to take off the edge, either. She was obviously aiming for something he'd never forget – as if he ever could.

And then she stopped.

Just stopped.

Naruto fought through the haze and stared at her to see why she'd done that.

"What's wrong?" he managed to say.

She hovered above him, staring, and then she reached down and laced her fingers with his. "Are you okay with me being on top?"

It wasn't exactly a question he'd been expecting, and even though just about every inch of him was throbbing for release, he took the time to grasp what she was saying.

And what she was saying was a lot.

He nodded. It was the best he could manage. For some reason, his throat had clamped shut.

Ino returned the nod, and there was no apprehension, no hesitancy in her aqua eyes when she lowered her body and lay against him. Her bare bountiful breasts against his chest. Her face touching his.

Without fully breaking the intimate contact of their joined bodies, she slowly rolled over. Until their positions were reversed. Until he was looking down on her.

Naruto held his breath.

"It's good," she said, sounding not surprised but rather pleased with her decision.

He held his breath a little longer, until she moved. Not a move to get away from him, but closer. She moved up, with some not so gentle pressure. She dug her heels into the mattress, lifted her hips, then wrapped her legs around him.

That sent him sliding deep inside her.

Now he breathed. Long and rough. He fought to keep a restraint on everything that she'd unleashed inside him, but it was a fight he knew he'd soon lose.

"Am I too heavy for you?" Naruto asked. Not easily but he asked it anyway because it was important.

"No," she repeated it and kissed him. "It's a lot better than I ever thought it would be."

"I know the feeling," he mumbled.

And he was absolutely sure she knew he wasn't just talking about their present position.

He tested the waters and moved inside her. A short, quick, easy stroke. The test was a success.

Man, was it ever.

After a few more of those testing strokes, his body was already pleading with him to take this, and her, to the next level. But then, Ino's body was doing the same. Despite her climax only a minutes earlier, he felt the aftershocks gain new life before they'd even fully subsided.

Still careful not to make her feel trapped beneath him, Naruto gathered her into his arms. He took everything she offered. Everything. And he made sure he gave it right back to her. He moved high against her, hard inside her. Deep. Sliding through the slick, hot moisture of her body.

When she begged him for more, he gave it to her.

No longer wary of her response, he pinned her hands to the bed and was pleased when she jerked and twisted beneath him. Not to get away. No, the throaty moan, the half smile, the scorching look in her eyes was the best '_welcome home, Naruto'_ he could have ever gotten.

Her legs tightened around him. They matched each other. Move for move. Frantic stroke for frantic stroke. Until the pressure built to an unbearable level. And yet they continued. Somehow. Trying to hang on to every second, every sensation.

They climbed together.

Drawing on each other. Feeding each other. Pleasuring each other.

To get to the only place they wanted to go.

She came in a flash, whispering his name in rhythm to the shudders that ravaged through her. He heard her murmurs over his own heartbeat, over his heavy breath. Over hers.

It was her surrender. A sweet, sensual, complete surrender.

Naruto buried his face against her neck and surrendered right along with her.


	17. Chapter 17

Hi guys! Missed me?lol well, I missed writing as much as I missed updating this fic. So, here goes for the chapter 17 of the Wedding Sniper!

R and R!

~Ino Ishii

* * *

Naked, Naruto eased out of the bed.

The room was dark. Pitch black, actually. He'd been so wrapped up in Ino that he hadn't even noticed that the sun had set.

She stirred, reaching for him, but he kissed her hand and placed it gently on the pillow. She went back to sleep almost immediately.

He pulled on his pants. Grabbed his cellphone, and went into the living room, shutting the door between him and Ino.

The A/C was on full-blast and he hoped the hum of the cool air seeping through the vents could create enough white noise that his conversation wouldn't wake her.

This wasn't something he especially wanted her to hear.

After he turned on the lamp, Naruto took out his wallet and located the private number for the Chief. It was on a business card tucked behind the only photo he carried. A posed family shot with his parents, taken years ago when he and his father had still been on speaking terms.

He pushed that particular reminder aside, laid his wallet on the end table and pressed in the numbers. Jiraiya answered the phone.

"Two things," Naruto started after they got past the hellos. He sat down even though he figured this might be an especially long conversation.

"There's not even a hint of impropriety or favoritism on Nara Shikamaru's part. He runs a clean department, and I don't want to be a part of any witch hunt designed to bring him down."

The chief paused, made a sound to indicate he was thinking about that. "Mind sharing with me how you arrived at this conclusion?"

"I asked questions. A lot of them. In fact, I spent most of Monday and Tuesday doing just that. And besides, I've watched how the man operates. Nara doesn't need to rely on favoritism and impropriety. He gets the job done the old-fashioned way, through hard work and dedication. You're lucky to have him on your team."

"Pretty frank talk," Jiraiya grumbled.

"You mean frank talk for a man who's on the brink of a potential promotion?" Naruto didn't wait for the chief to confirm it. "And that brings me to the second thing I wanted to discuss. After this case, I'll need to be moved from Homicide."

"Say what? I don't think I heard you right, Uzumaki. You want to be moved from a department you fought for months to get into?" Another of those sounds of contemplation. "Does this have anything to do with Yamanaka Ino?"

"It does," Naruto admitted. "I'm personally involved with her, and that means we shouldn't be working together."

"Well, yeah, it happens. Personal involvement, I mean. Work hard, play hard, and all that other crap we do to get us through the night. But that doesn't mean you have to leave Homicide. I can have her moved instead."

"No," Naruto quickly answered. "She stays in Homicide. I'm the one requesting the transfer."

"No?" Jiraiya repeated. "I swear I didn't see anything in your records to indicate you'd let yourself be ruled by _playing hard_. You've been like a bulldozer, Rico, pushing and shoving your way to the top."

"Well, things change." For the first time in his career, there was something more important than the bulldozing, the pushing and the shoving. More important even than his badge.

Ino.

Now he had to do everything in his power to prevent her from being killed.

Jiraiya made Naruto wait several seconds before he delivered his verdict. But the verdict wasn't exactly conclusive.

"I'll get back to you on these two things you just dumped in my lap," the chief finally snarled. "In the meantime, Yamanaka and you need to collar this scumhead Wedding Sniper and get the press and the whiny watchdog groups off my back."

"We're doing out best."

"Yeah, well, do better." And with that gruff farewell, the chief hung up.

Naruto punched the end call button with his thumb and put the phone on the end table next to him.

"Thin walls, he heard Ino say. He also heard the mattress springs groan when she got off the bed. She appeared in the doorway wearing only her panties, slipping on a shirt. His shirt. "Are you sorry you just made that call?"

"No," Naruto didn't even have to think about it.

The call was a necessity. But he gave some thought to her. Her hair was all messed up, in a very sexy sort of way with loose, damp strands framing her face.

And then there was her mouth.

Man, her mouth always sucker punched him. Her lips were still swollen from the torrid war they'd waged with his mouth.

"Any idea what you look like standing there?" he asked.

She glanced down at her seminaked torso and smiled. "Are you trying to distract me?"

"Maybe. But if so, you're distraction's a heck of a lot better than mine."

"Is that right?" still smiling, she crossed the room. Instead of climbing onto his lap – something he was fantasizing about – Ino pulled the sides of the shirt over her naked breasts and dropped down on the sofa next to him. She linked her fingers with his, brought his hand to her lips and kissed it.

"This morning I asked Shika to transfer me to another department," she said with her mouth still against his skin. "With the latest round of retirements, I could move to Special Investigations or Vice –"

"No, that's not fair to you. I'm the newcomer. You earned your spot in Homicide."

She climbed onto his lap. Maybe it was to distract him so he couldn't win this argument. He tried not to let her succeed. His resolve faltered a little when her silky leg brushed against his arm as she straddled him.

However, instead of doing anything sexual, she kissed his cheek. It was almost chaste.

Almost.

"We are so pathetic." She chuckled. "Shika and Chouji would have so much fun if they could see this. You and me arguing with each because we're both putting the other first. It's one for the record, Naruto."

Because it was peeking out at him, he gave her right nipple a gentle pinch. "Frankly, I'm glad they aren't here to see this. Having an audience would spoil the moment. And they'd probably try to beat me senseless."

She shook her head, and the swish of movement exposed her other breast.

No pinch this time. He leaned forward and nipped the tight bud with his teeth.

Ino sucked in her breath, gave his already hardening erection a little nudge, but she stopped him from closing his mouth around her nipple.

"Seriously," she said, pressing her fingers over his lips. "They respect you. And they like you, despite all that posturing and bravado." She reached over and picked up the photo that he'd left on the end table.

"What about them?" she asked.

"I don't think they like me." Normality, this would have been the point in the conversation where Naruto clams up, but there was nothing normal about anything anymore.

"My mother died six weeks ago. A drunk driver broadsided her on the way to my father's office."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." It wasn't just lip service, either. Ino gathered him in her arms, held him and brushed another kiss on his cheek. When she pulled back, he saw that her eyes were misty with tears.

He almost shrugged, but decided the tough-guy façade wasn't necessary. "I didn't get to make my peace with her before she died."

She nodded. "That explains the personal leave you took right before your transfer. The one I read from your file," Ino admitted.

Yes. He remembered.

She probably could have offered a sincere condolence or insisted that his dream of being a cop wasn't something for which he should have to make peace. But she didn't. Ino just sat there, and held him.

They stayed that way, wrapped around each other for heaven knows how long. Long enough for Naruto to realize that walking away from Yamanaka Ino wouldn't be just hard.

It would be impossible.

* * *

As incredible as Naruto's arms were, one glance at the clock and Ino knew it was time to get to work.

She lifted her head from his shoulder, kissed him – for slightly longer than she'd planned – and eased off his lap.

"I need to try on the dress," she let him know. "I have to figure out where I can put my weapon."

Groaning as he got to his feet, he followed her into the bedroom and stood in the doorway, watching her.

"You said the bouquet was too small to use for cover?"

"Yes." She pointed to the small silk floral arrangement that had been stuffed into the box with the dress.

"Baby's breath and miniature pink rosebuds just aren't effective for hiding Glocks. Go figure."

She put on her bra and a long slip first, and then as if bracing herself for a flu shot, Ino grabbed the dress. She eased it on over her head.

The silk whispered over her skin.

A seriously nice sensation she tried to ignore.

"I'll need you to do the buttons," she said, ignoring the mirror, as well. She hitched her thumb to the back of the dress and stepped into the satiny pair of off-white shoes. Heels. Uncomfortable ones that pinched her toes. But they put the finishing touches on the costume.

Naruto moved behind her. And then he moved her. He positioned her directly in front of the mirror affixed to the outside of the bathroom door.

A wide, full-length mirror.

And the very one she'd been trying to avoid.

"We're going to look like those plastic figures that go on top of wedding cakes," she complained as he fastened the buttons.

Not exactly true. The dress was real. Naruto was real. And what she felt for him was as real as it got. Still, she'd keep that to herself. With the mission all but closing in around them, this wasn't the time to pour out her heart.

He reached in the closet, extracted his tux shirt and jacket and put them on. Since he was already wearing black pants, the only thing missing was the tie. And in true badass form, he threaded it around his collar and left it loose so it dangled against the front of his shirt.

Damn.

Talk about a surefire way to lose her breath.

He simply took it away.

He brushed a kiss on her neck, met her gaze in the mirror, and smiled.

To give her hands something to do, she snatched up the bouquet and the Glock. Somehow, even the sinister-looking gun couldn't kill the moment.

But the doorbell did.

Ino groaned when she heard the incredibly annoying sound. Naruto went one step better and cursed.

"Just a minute," she called out to the visitor.

She tossed the bouquet on the bed and checked the time again. It was nearly 10pm. Not good. It was probably Chouji or Shikamaru, which meant something have gone wrong.

And that put her on an immediate alert.

It obviously did the same for Naruto. He hurriedly put on his shoes and grabbed his weapon.

The bell rang again. Not a quick jab of sound this time, but a long wail of noise, as if somebody was leaning on the darn thing.

When the noise finally stopped, Ino heard a barely audible groan.

"Who is it?" she asked.

The person answered something weak and muffled. It was a man, and the image of her friends, flew through her head. She turned to run toward the door, but Naruto grabbed her arm.

The feeling of panic and dread was so strong, so overwhelming, that Ino nearly pushed him away so she could make sure neither of her friends were hurt.

"Don't do it, it could be a trap." Naruto reminded her.

He was right, of course. After all, they were deep in an undercover murder investigation, and someone had already tried to kill them. It was a procedure to stay back, to make sure they wouldn't be facing a gun when they opened the door.

Still, she had to battle everything inside her to keep her from throwing open the door.

And more – she had to trust that Naruto was doing the right thing.

"Stay behind me," Naruto instructed. He aimed his gun and while staying low, he went into the living room. He reached over and turned off the lamp.

"Please help me," the voice said from outside the door.

She listened for anything recognizable about it, but again it was hardly more than a murmur of pain. If it were a trap, if the person was faking, he was doing an incredibly convincing job.

Her heart was racing. Her breath was in her throat. And that buzz was there. That awful buzz in her head that told her all was far from being well.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and soon the illumination from the stove panel allowed her to see the two windows that flanked the door. Not clearly though, but at least she could maneuver around and not bump into anything.

Moving slowly, Naruto inched away from the lamp toward the window that was closest to him. Ino followed. Not easily though. The dress wasn't exactly meant for skulking about, but there was no way she could fake the time to undo all those buttons and change into something more maneuverable.

Naruto didn't step in front of the window but instead crouched even lower and lifted the blinds just a fraction.

"The security lights in the parking lot are out," he whispered.

Okay. That didn't help. Since they'd been working fine the night before, she had to assume that someone had tampered with them.

"Who's out there?!" Naruto yelled. He immediately shifted his position so that if it was indeed a trapm the person wouldn't be able to pinpoint his position.

The only response they got was another of those painful groans.

Fuck. She prayed it wasn't one of her friends.

"Call for backup," Naruto said. "But tell them not to approach the building, to stay back and await orders." He tossed her his cellphone.

Ino snatched it from the air, flipped it open and would have pressed in the numbers for headquarters if something hadn't distracted her.

Something seeping from beneath the door onto the tiny patch of cream-colored tile.

It was blood.

And lots of it.


	18. Chapter 18

Hi all! Sorry it took me so long to update, I was buried under 6 feet of schoolworks and professors are really trying to kill us. Xp Anyway, you know the drill. Read and please don't forget to review. :)

~Ino Ishii

* * *

"Naruto?" Ino whispered.

He glanced at her, and she tipped her head toward the floor. Naruto had no trouble whatsoever spotting the dark pool of blood.

Hell.

Whoever was out there was either putting on a very convincing show with fake blood, or else the man was genuinely dying.

"Call for backup," Naruto reminded her, and he shouted to the person on the other side of the door.

"Who's out there?"

"Kabuto," the man finally answered.

Even though Ino didn't waiver from calling headquarters, Naruto saw the relief flash through her eyes. It wasn't her brothers out there but Yakushi Kabuto. That realization would help her regain her focus.

Thank goodness.

Because Naruto was a hundred percent sure they'd both need all the focus they could get.

"Someone…shot me." Kabuto added. He sounded as if he was getting weaker by the moment.

But the key words were _as if_ because there were a lot of _as if's _about this situation that could get them killed.

"Backup's on the way," Ino let him know.

Naruto nodded and returned his attention to the pseudo interrogation with his possibly wounded suspect. "Who shot you?"

"I – I don't know. I didn't see who it was, but the bullet was fired from a gun with a silencer. I didn't hear it until I was too late. Please…please let me in."

Oh yeah. Like they were going to do that any time soon. Kabuto was their number one suspect, and this was exactly the kind of trap a guy like him would try to pull.

"I think it might have been Karin who shot me," Kabuto tried again. "I've been following her." He paused for another of those gasps. "And I think she might be the sniper."

"It's funny you mentioned that, I was thinking the same thing about you," Naruto coldly told the other man.

"Not me." And Kabuto repeated it like a mantra. A mantra that got weaker with each word.

Naruto glanced at the pool of blood. It was spreading. If by some miracle Kabuto was telling the truth, he was bleeding out fast.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Ino asked.

He nodded. "But tell them the same thing you told backup. I don't want them to approach the suspect. I want them to wait until they have clearance from either me, you or the backup officers."

"Karin's crazy enough to do this," Kabuto went on, the pitch of his voice wavering wildly. "She has this problem…she, uh, flies off the handle when a man rejects her. She's been stalking Sasori."

Naruto hadn't needed Kabuto to tell him that. "What were you doing here anyway?"

"Watching you and Ino," he readily admitted. "I figured if Karin wasn't the sniper, then maybe it was…the two of you. I wanted to stop anyone else from dying."

"Playing detective could be dangerous," Naruto growled.

He hurried past the door to the other window and peered through the corner of the blinds. There was enough light from the nearby apartment complex for him to see the shadowy figure lying on the small concrete entry just outside the door. The person was curled up in a fetal position – maybe out of fear. Or maybe, Kabuto was trying to conceal a weapon.

"Is he armed?" Ino whispered. She put the phone on the snack bar and aimed both her guns at the door.

Naruto shook his head. "I cant tell."

And that left him with a serious dilemma. If by some miracle, what Kabuto said was the truth, if Karin indeed shot him, then the man needed help. Render assistance, was what Naruto had been taught to do. That was training.

Procedure.

But if this was a trap, then the sniper was the one calling the shots. Literally. Because when the backup or the ambulance arrived in the next couple of minutes, that would put them in the line of fire, as well.

_If it comes down to a situation where someone negates the rules, trust Ino, _Shikamaru had said.

All in all, it was damn good advice.

"What does your gut instinct say about this?" Naruto asked her in a whisper.

Ino blinked, probably surprised that he'd put this on her shoulders, but he was positive her shoulders could handle it.

She glanced at the blood again. "I don't think Kabuto's the sniper. He wouldn't have gotten this close because he doesn't trust me not to kill him on the spot. My guess is he's the bait. And I think if we open that door, then someone will open fire on us."

Naruto nodded. Everything she said made sense. So he had his answer, and took it one step further.

Moving back to the window and without touching the blinds, he looked out into the parking lot for any sign of the person who'd likely shot Kabuto and was trying to use the man to draw them out.

"See anything?" Ino asked.

"No."

Well, nothing other than at least three dozen cars, all jammed into the space that separated the two multistory apartment buildings. But a car probably wouldn't have given the sniper a good view, since their apartment was on the second floor. No. he or she would want to be higher.

Naruto's gaze combed over the masonry fence located at the back of the parking lot. It was a possibility and would provide an escape since there was an alley by it and then a street just on the other side.

But the angle was all wrong.

It was the same for the street on the left. A bad angle, and it was way too visible. This guy liked to stand back, aim and fire. He liked hiding.

That left the three-story building directly across from them.

It was a good deduction, he soon realized. Because Naruto caught a glint of something. Just a glimmer of movement.

"Get down!" he yelled to Ino and dove for the floor right before the shot came crashing through the window where he'd been standing.

Ino hit the floor, sheltering her face and eyes from the flying glass. Naruto did the same., but in their scramble to get away from the gunfire, they ended on opposite sides of the room.

And worse, the gunfire wasn't a single shot.

Another quickly followed and tore its way through what was left of the glass. And another. Just like the night in the alley and that day at the church, it was a barrage.

"Those shots are too high to have come from Kabuto," Naruto shouted over the blasts.

Ino agreed. That meant she'd been right about him not being the sniper.

For all the good it'd done her.

They were still pinned down. Still in danger. But at least the sniper didn't seem to be shooting at Kabuto. Now that she knew he might be an innocent player in this, she didn't want another bullet hitting him.

"The bedroom!" Naruto yelled.

Ino kept her weapon in her hands, but she threw open the door so that Kabuto could perhaps get inside. He did. Crawling and groaning. And she saw the still-spreading stain of blood on his shoulder and the front of his shirt. No weapon, but even if he'd had one, he was likely too weak to use it.

"The ambulance is on the way," she told Kabuto. "Stay down."

With Naruto yelling for her to hurry, she crawled toward him. Not easily. The bulky dress got in her way. And even after she got into the bedroom, Ino discovered it wasn't much safer than the area they'd just left.

The single window near the head of the bed was taking a pounding as well, and there was glass strewn all over the bedding. She reached over the debris and grabbed their communicators from the night stand. If they got separated during an escape, they'd need them.

Naruto circled an arm around her waist and pushed her into the bathroom. He didn't stop there. He got them into the tiled shower. A temporary safe haven. But only temporary. Only long enough for them to come up with a plan.

The shots continued through the bedroom window and were already gashing holes in the wall. If the sniper kept the firepower pinpointed, then those bullets would eventually come through the tile.

"How about the balcony?" she asked. "It's on the opposite side of the building from those shots."

Naruto's gaze met hers, and she knew it was something he had already considered. And he'd also already dismissed it because of the danger.

"Whoever that sniper is, he or she will kill anyone who tried to help us," Ino pointed out. "The stray shots –"

"There aren't enough stray shots," Naruto insisted.

Somehow, she heard him over the racket and over the pounding of her heartbeat.

He was right.

There weren't many strays. The shots were going through the window with much better than average precision, far more accurate than the gunfire they'd encountered at the church or in the alley. This pattern was more like the first shooting.

The one that had killed Sakura and her groom.

Ino might have taken longer to consider that inconsistency if a bullet hadn't come through the wall and the tile.

Naruto shoved her down with the bits of ceramic and plaster. The deafening noise continued to crash around them.

"We'll go out to the balcony," Naruto instructed. "We'll climb down the fire escape and circle back around to the edge of the building. I might be able to get a good enough look to pick off the sniper."

"You think the sniper's on the rook of that apartment building?" she asked.

"I know he is. I got a glimpse of something before he fired. I'm almost positive he's on the right side of a huge ventilation shaft where no one can see him from the street."

And it would also allow the gunman refuge since it'd take a while for the cops to block off the street. Then, he could probably escape over that fence into the alley. From there he'd simply fade into the city.

Unless they stopped him first.

"What do you want me to do?" Ino asked.

He ducked his head when a shot rammed through another section of the tile. "After we're on the ground, one of us will need to go to the left of the building."

For a distraction. A necessary one. If she had the layout of the roof correct in her mind, the left was the sniper's blindside since he was on the right of the ventilation shaft. That meant one of them had to be the diversion while the other delivered the shot that would hopefully take him out.

"You'll be the diversion," Naruto insisted.

Because it was the safer of the two positions. The sniper would have to leave cover to return fire at the person creating the diversion. But if the shooter didn't do that, if the ploy didn't work, then what would leave the person on the right – Naruto – in the killer's direct line of fire.

Oh, fuck.

It wasn't a scenario she even wanted to consider. Ino would have much preferred to take the more dangerous route herself. In fact, her heart screamed for her to do just that, to protect him at all cost.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't.

Because it wasn't just their lives at stake. Kabuto needed to get medical attention, fast. But she couldn't stop the fear. Nothing could do that. Her hand was trembling when she draped the communicator around his neck and did the same to hers.

Ino pressed her mouth to his. Something brief but hopefully it said a lot more than words, because they didn't have time for long explanations.

"Don't you dare fail," she insisted.

His jaw muscles went to war with each other. "You either."

That was it for goodbyes.

But it was enough.

"When we get outside, hurry," Naruto insisted, swallowing hard. "Use every bit of speed that I know you have because I don't want you out in the open any longer than necessary. Maintain cover and fire a shot or two to get his attention. That's it. Only a shot or two, and only if it's safe."

She nodded. Took a deep breath. And the moment he said, "Let's go," Ino did.

They stayed on the floor, crawling their way to the balcony. There was a pause in the shots. As he'd done at the church, the gunman was probably reloading or trading weapons. Naruto and she used that lapse to their advantage. They went out onto the balcony and climbed over the railing to the fire escape.

"Equipment check," she said into her communicator.

"I hear you," Naruto responded.

The shots started up again. Another barrage. Another attempt to kill whoever got in the way.

Adrenaline was like a knife cutting through her lungs. The thick humid air didn't help, either. But she ran ran, even in the heels and the dress, Ino ran as if her very life depended on it. Because it did. And not just her life, but Naruto's, too. If she blew this diversion, then the sniper would go after him.

That couldn't happen.

She slowed down as she neared the corner and checked her surroundings to make sure the angle of the shots hadn't changed. They hadn't. The sniper was still on the roof, even though she couldn't see him. Not even a glimpse.

And that was what she had to remedy. She needed him or her out in the open for at least a second or two.

"I'm in position," she relayed to Naruto.

"So am i. you go on three. I'll go on four."

"One," they counted in unison.

"Two."

"Three."

Ino pulled her breath, darted out from behind the cover of the building. And fired.

So did the sniper.

Right at her.


	19. Chapter 19

Speedy update? Hah! Well, because im on a vacation. :) Anyway, I would like to tell you guys that this would be the last episode of this fanfic of mine. :) However, don't worry, because there's another NaruIno cop story on the way. I just hope that you'll show the same enthusiasm you did for Wedding Sniper. Keep hittin that button below! Thanks!

~Ino Ishii

* * *

It'd happened too fast.

On the count of three, Naruto had expected to hear Ino's shot, and by four, he figured the sniper would come out from the cover to take aim at her. By five, Naruto was supposed to have already fired a deadly shot that would keep Ino out of harm's way.

He was wrong.

Things didn't happened as planned.

Ino fired. He'd heard that all right. But then, the sniper fired, too. Immediately. Not a second later as he should have done.

A thousand thoughts went through Naruto's head. None good. This was what he feared most. Not losing a promotion. Not blowing a case. But losing Ino.

He couldn't lose her.

"Say something!" Naruto demanded into his communicator. And he held his breath.

"I'm okay."

Those two words were the most welcome two words he'd ever heard. Naruto leaned his shoulder against the building and let it support him.

"He missed," Ino added. "I'll try again – "

"No! He'll be looking for you! He aimed right at you, Ino, and that means he's not hiding behind the ventilation shaft but he's crouched down in front of it."

"Okay," and she repeated it. "So how about this? I strip off the dress and toss it into the parking lot. It's big enough and light colored enough to make a great distraction. When he fires at it, I'll shoot to draw him out, and then you can do your thing."

He didn't have enough breath left to ask about that, and from the ragged pauses in her own breathing and the sound of tearing fabric, he could tell she was already getting out of that dress.

Naruto moved into position.

"On three," Ino said. And she didn't hesitate long enough for him to change his mind.

"One…Two…Three!"

Nothing.

Then, something.

A blast of sound. From Ino's gun. And once again, the sniper fired right at her without so much as lifting his head. But this time, Naruto did see the barrel of the rifle.

"Talk to me Ino," Naruto barked.

She didn't.

Not one word.

"Talk to me!!!" he repeated.

"She dove into some shrubs," Naruto heard someone say through his communicator. Not Ino. But Chouji.

"Is she all right?" Naruto immediately asked.

"Hard to say."

Not the reassurance Naruto needed, especially since she wasn't giving him that reassurance herself. He consoled himself with the possibility her communicator had been damaged in the fall.

"How about you?" Chouji again. "You have a visual on this sniper?"

"If I did, he'd already be dead."

But what Naruto did have was the next best thing. He knew the sniper's position. If he aimed just below where he'd seen the rifle, the he could perhaps kill him before he did any more damage.

First though, he had to make sure Ino was all right.

"Ino?" he barked. "If you're there, please talk to me."

The next few seconds dragged into an eternity.

"We'll keep monitoring this line, and I'll do some adjusting to see if we can increase reception so we can contact her," Chouji explained. "We're assembling a team to go on the roof, but we're still a good ten, maybe fifteen minutes out."

At the moment, ten or fifteen was a couple of lifetimes. They didn't have lifetimes.

"Make sure that masonry fence is covered," Naruto insisted.

"It is. Don't worry. If this guy tries to get down, he wont get far."

Maybe. But it was a risk Naruto didn't want to take. He wanted to end it here and now – after he made sure Ino was safe.

More seconds. Long ones. And just when Naruto was ready to break into a run and check on Ino, her voice came through the communicator. Naruto, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Thank goodness. He was glad he was still leaning against the wall. "I thought I'd lost you."

"No way. My communicator fell off, and I had to find it. Are you okay?"

"I am now. Stay put. I'll get this guy."

"Wait. Just please don't do anything dangerous, although I know that it just will be." And she knew she was right. There was nothing they could do about it.

"Just remember, stay put." Naruto ordered.

"Naruto, I'm in love with you," Ino blurted out.

Okay. So he hadn't exactly been expecting her to say that. And she likely didn't know her brother and heaven knows who else was listening in on their conversation. Naruto didn't have to inform her of that, or time to respond.

He saw the rifle again, and he automatically zoomed in on it. He took aim. Shut out everything else. His focus pinpointed to that one spot.

And he fired.

Fired.

Fired.

Silence followed.

The sounds of the city and the nearby street slowly began to penetrate his consciousness. He shut them out as well, all the sounds, all the flurries of movement on the street, and Naruto concentrated just on that one spot on the roof. A sign of activity, any activity, and he'd fire again.

"I think you got him," Ino said into the communicator.

"So do I. Maintain your position just in case."

And if the sniper was indeed dead, then it was all over.

Well, maybe.

"Please tell me you weren't hurt," she demanded.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Just a scratch or two."

Naruto cursed. "Our definitions of scratches aren't the same." He'd have a medic check her out ASAP.

She paused and Naruto could hear her heavy breath. Or was it his? "It'll either be Karin or Tomoyama on that roof," Ino said. "Because I think all of this was done to cover up the first shooting, those first two murders."

So Ino had come up to the same conclusion he had. Not surprising at all. Either Tomoyama had wanted to get back at his ex or else Karin had wanted to eliminate the happy groom. It explained the reason the first shots had been accurate. Either Karin or Tomoyama had fired with intent to kill. Everything else had been sloppy, a dangerous façade designed to mask the killer's motive.

Until tonight.

Tonight had been to eliminate Ino and him because they'd obviously gotten too close to the truth.

Heck, the sniper had almost succeeded.

"We have a visual of the body on the roof," Chouji said through the communicator.

It was the only green light he needed. Naruto turned to find Ino.

She found him first.

He'd hardly gotten to the back corner when he almost ran into her. They skidded to a stop. Stared at each other. There was indeed a thin scratch on her chin, but other than that, she was fine.

Ino launched herself into his arms. He was right there to catch her.

And kiss her.

It was probably their shortest kiss ever.

"Sergeant Uzumaki?" someone immediately called out. It was Shikamaru. He was already on the scene, and after another glance, Naruto realized he wasn't the only one. At least half a dozen other officers were there as well.

With the wedding dress thrown over his shoulder, Shikamaru approached them and handed it to Ino as she eased out of Naruto's embrace.

"The press is here," Shikamaru said.

Which meant there'd likely be pictures. She put on the dress – probably because it beat the alternative of being photographed in her slip.

Her friend gave her a warm hug and whispered, "Good job." Shikamaru said the same to Naruto before they were interrupted for an update on Kabuto. The man was alive and would be taken to the hospital.

The routine chaos started. The inevitable aftermath of a violent crime. There was the wail of the ambulance coming for Kabuto. Shouts. Orders. The smell of gunfire and leftover adrenaline. It wasn't surprising Naruto soon found himself engulfed in it.

A medic pulled Ino aside, checking her scratch, while Chouji came over the communicator with an update of his own.

"The sniper's Dr. Tomoyama," he heard Chouji say. "And he's DOA. Good shooting, Uzumaki."

So it was really over.

Well, except for one not so minor detail. There was Ino's comment about being in love with him.

That required Naruto to take a deep breath or two.

Now that they weren't in a life-and-death situation, he wanted to get her take on it. Maybe it'd been the adrenaline and fear talking and not…

Hell, he didn't even want to finish that.

Naruto turned to find her, but she'd already disappeared into the gathering crowd of officers and medics.

* * *

Ino cranked up the music as loud as she could stand it. Nickelback did their part, Chad's gritty voice belting out the words to "Burn It To The Ground" as her running shoes pounded against the sidewalk.

She ran fast. Much faster than her usual Sunday morning pace from her apartment to her parent's home. She pushed herself hard. Harder. Until her muscles protested. Until her heart pounded.

But it still wasn't fast enough.

The thoughts she'd been trying to keep at bay caught up with her, and no matter how much she kicked up the pace, no matter how high she cranked up the volume, the thoughts just kept coming.

Thoughts of a killer and his victims.

Naruto and she had stopped Tomoyama Kenji. A cold-blooded killer who according to his own computer diary had refused to give up the woman he loved or go to jail for murdering her. He'd been willing to hurt or even kill others to cover that crime, and by Tomoyama's own admission, he'd wanted Naruto and her dead after he became suspicious of them.

But in the end, Naruto and she had prevented Tomoyama from killing others – including Yakushi Kabuto. He was alive and recovering in the hospital. Hisagi Karin, Hiruko Sasori and the other Perfect Match clients were all safe, as well. Heck, even a lot of the paperwork for the case had been finished.

The only thing missing was Naruto.

They'd spoken of course. Briefly. In the halls at headquarters as they were shuffled from one interview to the other. She'd had time to give him back his grandmother's ring and little else since a great deal of the past day and a half had involved hours of separate sessions with Internal Affairs and supervisors.

All routine. All part of the checks and balances to make sure deadly force had been warranted.

Not that anyone had ever thought differently. Tomoyama had had to be stopped.

The interviews were just time-consuming square fillers. But now those interviews were done, the squares had been filled, and Naruto still hadn't contacted her.

Ino ran harder.

The night of the shooting, she'd told him that she loved him – on an open communicator, she'd since learned. Her friends and probably plenty of other people had heard her, so certainly Naruto hadn't missed it. Or maybe he had. Maybe he'd wanted to miss it.

And maybe the excessive endorphins from the run were simply making her crazy.

She slowed into a cooldown, hoping it'd cool her thoughts. It didn't. The 'I love you' she'd told him kept resounding in her head. An 'I love you' that was real, and yet it hadn't been said to her in return. No amount of running could take the sting out of that. She felt as if her heart were breaking into a million pieces.

Ino did some extra minutes of cooldown to give herself time for a serious attitude adjustment. That didn't work, either. Since she felt on the verge of crying, she cut through the backyard, hoping to sneak into her parent's house and grab a shower before the rest of the Yamanaka clan as well as her bestfriends Shikamaru and Chouji, showed up for Sunday brunch. Of course, she didn't hold out much hope but at least that way she could cry in private.

"There you are," her father greeted before Ino even got through the door.

Not that a greeting in itself was unusual, but her father wasn't cooking. He wasn't even wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron, and there wasn't so much as a whiff of waffles and bacon.

Ino turned off her music, slipped off her headphones and peered past her father into the sprawling kitchen. Her family was already there. Both Chouji and Shika as well as his daughter, Kumiko. With the exception of Kumiko, they were all staring at her as if she had the answers to questions that she didn't know had been asked.

"Aunt Ino!" Kumiko shouted.

"Hey, Kumi-chan," Kumiko bolted for her, and Ino scooped her up in her arms, giving her a full circle spin around. She planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. A kiss that earned her a giggle.

"Any idea what's going on?" Ino whispered to Kumiko. Not that she expected an answer from a two-and-a-half-year-old.

Kumiko cupped her small hands around her mouth and tried to whisper back. "It's a secret."

That didn't narrow it down much.

"Mom," Ino greeted, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. There wasn't a strand of her mother's sandy blonde hair out of place, and she'd already applied make up. Hardly her normal Sunday routine.

Her mom brushed her fingers over the scratch on Ino's chin, issued a disapproving grunt, and that's when Ino noticed she had no megamug of coffee in her hands. Definitely abnormal. The woman stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to Shikamaru and appeared to have been waiting for her.

"What?" Ino asked cautiously. "Did something go wrong with the Tomoyama case?"

"Everything's fine," Shikamaru started. "The last few ends were tied up when Karin volunteered to go back into therapy for her relationship issues."

"Yeah. Therapy with a shrink who doesn't m-u-r-d-e-r people," Chouji added, obviously spelling it out since Kumiko was listening. "Oh, and Kabuto wanted me to tell you how sorry he was about the incident in the hall at Perfect Match, and he wanted to thank you for saving his life."

Nothing wrong with any of that – which only made Ino more suspicious. "So if it's not the Tomoyama case, why are all of you staring at me?"

And then it hit her.

"Wait, does this have anything to do with the investigation into the favoritism allegations?"

"No." Shikamaru assured her. "The chief decided to terminate the inquiry for lack of evidence."

In other words, Naruto intervened, and justice had been served. "So if it's not that or the Tomoyama case, then what is it?"

Her best friends exchanged a couple of glances, lifted eyebrows and other assorted facial gestures before Shikamaru extended hi hand to her. "Congratulations, Sergeant Yamanaka."

It took several moments for that to sink in. "I got the promotion?" she gasped.

Somehow, amazingly, Ino had forgotten all about it.

The hugs started. Ditto for the excited kisses and well wishes from her parents. Ino braced herself for the flood of joy, the rush of success. And it happened. Sort of it. But it was more of a trickle than a flood.

"What about Naruto?" she asked. Kumiko wriggled out of her grip. "Did he make lieutenant?"

Chouji and Shikamaru traded another of those ocular volleys, and these time they included Ino's parents in the raised eyebrow exchanges.

"Told you," Chouji assured them.

"Told them what?" but Ino wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear this.

Chouji shrugged as if the answer were obvious. "That you're in love with Uzumaki Naruto."

She huffed. A short burst of air that hopeful was a vague enough reaction so she wouldn't have to out-and-out lie. She didn't want to discuss this with anyone until she'd had time to…heck, she didn't even know what she wanted to do about it. Sulking, maybe even crying, was a distinct possibility.

"Well, are you?" her mother asked, staring at her with eyes that were a genetic copy of her own.

Ino went on the offensive. Not with her mother. But she aimed her offensive attention at Shikamaru. "Did Naruto get the promotion or not?"

"He got it. He'll be put in charge of Special Investigations."

But the answer didn't come from Shikamaru. Ino's gaze flew across the room, to the adjoining family room.

And there he was.

Lieutenant Uzumaki Naruto.

Sitting on the sofa.

He got up, slid his hands into the pockets of his great-fitting jeans and ambled toward her. "Congratulations, Sergeant."

He smiled.

Just smiled.

Now here was the rush, and the rest of the room faded away. "Congratulations, Lieutenant." The platinum blonde managed to say.

"Naruto dropped by to bring back my wedding dress," her mother explained, causing the room to reenter the fringes of Ino's consciousness. But even that couldn't get her attention off the hot-looking man walking toward her. "You left it at headquarters the night of the shooting."

"ONE of the reasons I came was to return the dress," Naruto clarified. "I'm also here to ask Ino about something."

From that look, the question wasn't about Tomoyama or a report. Her heart landed in the vicinity of her knees.

"Oh yeah?" Chouji commented. He nudged Shikamaru with his elbow.

Naruto nodded, without taking his eyes away from her. "I wanted to ask her to marry me."

Okay.

Another rush.

Well, more like an avalanche.

Ino was sure her family was doing a lot of glance exchanges, elbow nudges and the like, but she didn't care. Naruto was going to ask her to marry him.

"And what do you think she'll say?" Chouji again.

Naruto stopped right in front of her. "I'm hoping she'll say yes once she knows I'm in love with her and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her." He hooked his finger into the waist of her running shorts and pulled her to him. He touched his mouth to Ino's.

She felt that simple kiss from head to toe.

"I'm positive she'll say yes," Ino smiled.

"Positive?" Naruto questioned, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"It's a sure thing."

So this was what it was like to be totally in love. Sweet heaven. There was nothing like it. Not the thrill of an arrest, not the promotion. Not even the badge. Just an overwhelming sense that everything was right.

The room went silent. For a moment or two. Until her mother squealed. A second wave of congratulations, hugs and well wishes started, and she found herself in some very loving arms. Including Naruto's.

"You knew about this?" Ino whispered to Chouji and Shikamaru, noting that both were grinning as much as the others. "And you guys, approve of it?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Hey, as long as he makes you happy, then we're fine with it."

Ino hugged her two best friends. After several more minutes of celebrating, Naruto asked if he could have just a few moments alone with his wife-to-be.

As soon as the couple were given their own space, Naruto never once let go of her. "Are you upset I chose a public proposal?" he asked.

"Are you serious? Of course, not!" Ino told him.

"Well, I thought it was only fair after your public announcement on the communicator." Naruto kissed her fully on the lips.

Ino winced, but that public announcement would save them some time. Everyone at the headquarters probably knew how she felt about Uzumaki Naruto.

"I'd like to invite your family to the wedding," she said while she could still speak. The kiss he gave her seriously put a damper on what was left of that particular ability. "Any objections?"

He shook his head. "None. Knowing you, you'll be able to talk them into coming."

Between her father and her, it was practically guaranteed.

"It'll be a new beginning," Naruto took her hand and slipped his grandmother's ring back on her finger. "A new start. A new life. Oh, and lots of great sex."

Ino ran her tongue over her bottom lip and felt a nice jolt when she tasted him there. "Great sex, huh?" she smiled. "But you left something out – the happily ever after part."

"I didn't leave that out," Naruto laced their fingers together. Drew her against him. "With us, happily ever after is a given."

Yes it was.

A true perfect match.

And Naruto let her know with a long, lingering kiss.

* * *

There! Finally done! I am expecting reviews, alright? :)


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